<story><title>Lake Nyos suffocated over 1,700 people in one night</title><url>http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/lake-nyos-the-deadliest-lake-in-the-world</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>bnjmn</author><text>A few years ago I wrote a poem loosely based this event.&lt;p&gt;I know unsolicited poetry from strangers on the internet is almost always awful, but this poem still holds up for me, which is pretty unusual for anything I&amp;#x27;ve ever written.&lt;p&gt;So I hope you enjoy it, too:&lt;p&gt;&lt;pre&gt;&lt;code&gt;  NYOS

  You took me in on dusky breath,
  tasted me, tasted nothing,
  gathered by my easy take
  that I was oxygen enough
  for idle inspiration.

  How swiftly my lack became your
  lack; my misgiving, your mistake.
  Your eyes flashed a baffled
  petition as you fell limp in a
  thousand different doorways,

  cribs, embraces, fits and fields,
  yet I pressed after whatever it was
  I thought to find in the lowest
  parts of Cameroon, as foolish in
  love as a gas trapped in a lake.&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/pre&gt;</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>zeroer</author><text>If it means anything to you, I enjoy being hyper-critical, and shitting on strangers on the internet has a special place in my heart, but that poem is pretty good.  I&amp;#x27;d read more if you published it.</text></comment>
<story><title>Lake Nyos suffocated over 1,700 people in one night</title><url>http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/lake-nyos-the-deadliest-lake-in-the-world</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>bnjmn</author><text>A few years ago I wrote a poem loosely based this event.&lt;p&gt;I know unsolicited poetry from strangers on the internet is almost always awful, but this poem still holds up for me, which is pretty unusual for anything I&amp;#x27;ve ever written.&lt;p&gt;So I hope you enjoy it, too:&lt;p&gt;&lt;pre&gt;&lt;code&gt;  NYOS

  You took me in on dusky breath,
  tasted me, tasted nothing,
  gathered by my easy take
  that I was oxygen enough
  for idle inspiration.

  How swiftly my lack became your
  lack; my misgiving, your mistake.
  Your eyes flashed a baffled
  petition as you fell limp in a
  thousand different doorways,

  cribs, embraces, fits and fields,
  yet I pressed after whatever it was
  I thought to find in the lowest
  parts of Cameroon, as foolish in
  love as a gas trapped in a lake.&lt;/code&gt;&lt;/pre&gt;</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>x2398dh1</author><text>I have wondered if the 1986 Ladysmith Black Mambazo &amp;#x2F; Paul Simon song, &amp;quot;Homeless,&amp;quot; is about this tragedy, but I have not been able to find anything online confirming it.  The only things I have supporting this are the fact that it came out in 1986 and has the lyrics, &amp;quot;Moonlight sleeping on the midnight lake,&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;Strong wind, many dead tonight it could be you.&amp;quot;  &lt;a href=&quot;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;www.youtube.com&amp;#x2F;watch?v=fy3YVyh3mYE&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;www.youtube.com&amp;#x2F;watch?v=fy3YVyh3mYE&lt;/a&gt;</text></comment>