Tom Eicher : Together forever


        The gentle light of a setting sun illuminates your features
    against an indeterminable background. Slowly, hesistating, I
    rotate you, to examine your body in every aspect, celebrate every
    detail of your perfect body. Perfect, in this case is composed of
    little bits and pieces which on its own are imperfect. But they
    add together to something that is perfect in a completely
    different way.

        I zoom out. To watch your slender figure, checke your
    propotions against different backgrounds. I think you look best
    against an image of a 20th centry town called London.

        I zoom in. To look into your eyes. Your eyes glitter, then
    reflect my own image. My image is not quite up to date, I guess I
    will have a scan tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. But right
    now, it is correct, because your eyes reflect me the way I had
    been when we were together. We have done this scan together. You
    have a tape of me as well.

        Together forever. An old concept, realized in a wicked way.
    Old Shakespear refused to 'compare thee to a summer's day'. Well,
    I don't even have to use comparisons, because you are always
    here.

        I could tell the system to animate you. We could live here in
    cyberspace, for ever and ever. But now it is my turn to refuse.
    Any simulation of your character, the way you move, the things
    you say could only ridicule your memory. Memory is still precious
    to me, not only RAM and ROM, also NAM, the non-accessible memory,
    the one inside one's brain.

        I probably couldn't tell the difference, though.

        Still, I cannot take my eyes off you, cannot tell the system
    to shut down the virtual display. You'd stay there anyway, burnt
    right into my vision.

        So I am lying in my compartment, firey tears running down my
    cheeks, unable to blur a vision that is not percepted through
    physical eyes.


        tom-10-10-95