Comet blazing across the evening sky

When news of Michael Jackson's death first came out and twitterers and facebook statuses started their tributes, there was only one obviousline that stuck out in my mind.

I admit that when I was younger I used to belong and probably was a bit addicted to a wonderful messageboard called Estronet. As you may be able to guess from the name, it was aimed towards females and I spent hours on it everyday.  One of my favourite baords was the creative writing board.  I'd post my poems and short writings and eagerly read new writings from posters I'd come to respect.

One short story I read on there has never left my mind - it was a poster possibly in her middle teens writing about watching a girl, once a best friend, who had grown up to be shooting star and was consequently in the process of burning out.  Since then I'd always liked that idea of shooting stars or comets that burn so brightly but so quickly - inevitably plummeting to earth in the end, paying for the way they were able to shine so bright.

Michael Jackson wrote the song "Gone too soon" for his young friend and AIDS victim, Ryan White.  Ryan was a very brave teenager, a haemophiliac diagnosed with AIDS at the age of 13; contracted through a routine blood infusion.  Back in the 80s AIDS was still very much a mystery and stigma and Ryan made it the mission of the rest of his unfortunately short life to educate the public about AIDS.  You can read more about him here.

I can't remember whether I'd heard of Ryan White or whether we got the Dangerous album (a favourite in our household where Rod Stewart was too old for the kids and Alanis Morissette too whiney for the parents) first, but I remember loving the very simple, but beautiful song Michael Jackson had attributed to Ryan.

But perhaps this song fits you, too, Michael. You were like a comet, blazing across the evening sky.  And now you are gone too soon. 

I never believed the scandal.  Rest in peace.