A Frigid Bug

[Poet-dude-ig]

A Frigid Bug

I have convictions entombed in glaciation,
Yet springtime melts my frosted obstinacy.
I weave a cocoon of icy expressions,
shielding me from greater evils than Helios.
Hidden behind silk and chrysalis,
I am a moth and a butterfly in the same very moment.

Inside, I am the library of Alexandria,
But alike, I am susceptible to flames.
I rise from the ashes, not a phoenix,
But a burnt, misshapen bug bringing no more frigidity.

(I'm also open to title ideas alongside feedback <3 )

[busker]

A Frigid Bug

I have convictions entombed in glaciation,  ... glaciers bring life to hundreds of millions around the world. I like how the subject of the poem is fulsomely glorified 
Yet springtime melts my frosted obstinacy.  ... not only beneficent, but also merciful, like Maximus.
I weave a cocoon of icy expressions,
shielding me from greater evils than Helios.  ... an expert poet AND a Renaissance man
Hidden behind silk and chrysalis,
I am a moth and a butterfly in the same very moment. .... and also a complicated genius. This is getting interesting

Inside, I am the library of Alexandria,  ... the reference took some thinking. Nice one.
But alike, I am susceptible to flames.
I rise from the ashes, not a phoenix,  ... one of my favourites. 
But a burnt, misshapen bug bringing no more frigidity.  ... this could be a reference to the gold bug, a creation of inestimable value in Poe's story. Phoenixes are relatively useless, being things of the imagination entirely. The parallel is not quite right, though. The library didn't go up in flames to become a gold bug. But like the great god Vishnu, the subject reappears as different avatars purely out of choice. Because he has a low boredom threshold. And he’s a god.

(I'm also open to title ideas alongside feedback <3 )

Diligence is repaid with diligence. 
A great poem, your tribute to the narrator.
As an aside, an accountant friend told me that SOX problems were a big thing in the aftermath of Enron and the Sarbanes Oxley Act. This one is less so. There is hope after all, thought Scott.

[DeathofaSaint]

A Frigid Bug (I actually think this title is really good! You should keep it)

I have convictions entombed in glaciation, (What kind of convictions? It isn't quite clear. What exactly are you showing conviction to?)
Yet springtime melts my frosted obstinacy. (You have an incredible use of vocabulary, it's really engaging and fun to read. This sort of hints at the springtime is when the cocoon comes out, you could expand that idea even further )
I weave a cocoon of icy expressions,  (Why exactly are you waving icy expressions? A single line explaining could be helpful)
shielding me from greater evils than Helios. (You have a really consistent use of punctuation which is very strong.)
Hidden behind silk and chrysalis,      (I like the comparisons, this whole poem is a very strong metaphor.)
I am a moth and a butterfly in the same very moment. (What is the difference between the two? A moth, in my opinion, is a duller butterfly.) 

Inside, I am the library of Alexandria, (inside what? A cocoon? Possibly end this line with a semicolon so the punctuation feels smooth) 
But alike, I am susceptible to flames. (That's an incredible simile.)
I rise from the ashes, not a phoenix,   (Did you mean "not AS a phoenix" that would be more clear)
But a burnt, misshapen bug bringing no more frigidity.  (really good closing word. I love the use of contrast in the poem. Cut out the word "more" for less redundancy)

(I'm also open to title ideas alongside feedback <3 )

For more big picture feedback, I think structure matters a lot here and you're doing a great job. You could try to make a balance between first sentence and second stanza. Having the same number of lines in each stanza (example, 6 in each two stanza) and there's a big swift between stanza 1-2, such as the first stanza is being in a cocoon, the second sentence is arises and coming out of the cocoon. You're clearly going for a "less is more" approach which I love, you could lean into that even further with balance between the two. 

But there's a lot you're doing really really well. I love your use of vocabulary and very strong images.  Great job!

[jeffalot]

Some ideas:

- The classical and mythological references could be more integrated and developed. The first appears out of nowhere in line 4, and there it seems tacked-on, as just a synonym for the sun - why are you choosing this particular word in this line?

- "library of Alexandria" - there is a missed opportunity here for description and imagery. You are invoking this wonderful, lost place of knowledge and wisdom, and relating it to yourself. The reader can understand that you want to say you have a rich internal life, but instead of saying "I am", you could pick out some aspect of the library, and relate it to yourself in a more descriptive way.

- Library of Alexandria should have a capital L (because it's a proper noun, and for consistency since you capitalised Helios).

- "A moth and a butterfly" - an interesting idea, (with reference to earlier feedback, you cannot be both), a line more about perception, possibility and self-knowledge than what is true. Unfortunately, you make it boring by stating "I am".

- Generally, there is an overuse of 'I' and I driven sentences - we know the poem is about 'I' from the first line. Later, you repeat 'I am' twice in the space of two lines.  What a waste of precious syllables! You are telling rather than showing - is there a more imaginative way of structuring your sentences?

- But alike - somewhat awkward phrasing "I am...but alike....I am".

- "rise from the ashes" - for my taste, this is cliché and boring.

- I think the ideas and themes need more development and room to breathe than two stanzas (or you need to trim some of the metaphor, and make better use of those you choose to keep).

My suggestion for your title: heliomorphosis - playing on metamorphosis and trying to blend some of your themes earlier.

[jeffalot]

With Apologies(!)

Oh dear! I appear 
to have replied, 
(quite unaware, 
so don't deride) 
to an ancient thread, 
long lost to time, 
like a scroll from that 
great Library's prime.