Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Cirque Du Phenomenes
Subway
I.
The newest passenger made his way past a few sleeping derelicts and a razor-boned couple, nearly nude, making out near the door. Wearily plopping into the hard seat, he checked his watch reflexively, making a small whistling sound of annoyance. He glanced around the cramped compartment, taking stock; sallow face like a hatchet fish, dark eyes two black globes with no pupils.
There was a loud buzzing sound, and a sudden release of pressure like a steam cooker about to explode. The doors closed with a squeal. He impulsively looked at his watch again, then deliberately lit up a cigarette, ignoring the pornographically defaced "No Smoking" sign. Suddenly, the train jolted forward. That's when he noticed the steely-eyed young man in military regalia studying him.
He smiled as he exhaled the smoke through his nose like St. George's nemesis. The train was picking up speed now, the outside lights passing by like slow motion strobes.
"How goes it? The name's George," he said in a soft English accent.
"They used to tease me about the coat," the vampire, Timothy, said, smiling, seeming to read George's mind.
"Oh, really?" the other man said and crushed out his cigarette, squinting through the smoke. "Who was that?"
"The other children," Timothy replied softly, dreamily shaking his head, his longer-than-usual canines showing. "I guess," he added as an afterthought, "it was because I was so different from all the other children, since I drank blood. I don't know." He looked into George's eyes. His own eyes were warm and friendly, but there was still something more intense about them; something that wasn't quite right, somehow. The pointed redness of his tongue flicked over his parted ruby lips and was gone. "Oh, sorry, how rude of me. Timothy -- my name's Timothy."
The silence was long between them, hanging with invisible lashes on the thick, stale air of the subway compartment. After two false starts, George finally asked, "How, exactly, did you become undead?"
There was a pause and George was aware of the subway clacking through the tunnel. Then the vampire stretched, sighed patiently and said, "What I'm about to tell you is true, no matter what good sense dictates, or what thoughts you may have about it..."
II.
The day had been an interesting one, indeed. This was especially true for a twelve-year-old named Timothy Lipscomb. Timothy, it seems, was a self-proclaimed vampire, and, in being self-proclaimed, he was bound and determined to make a complete and utter ass of himself by attempting to prove that could not exist without satisfying his apparent need to engorge on the blood of a human being.
To all his friends, Tim seemed to be, in the kindest sense, a bit off his rocker. To his hair he did the oddest things. One day he went to school with it standing on end. The next day he went shaved bald. He wore the oddest clothes. One thing in particular that drew a great deal of attention was an old, blue military overcoat that extended beyond his knees. He also seemed to be one of the most interesting medical specimens in recent memory, taking great pride in the fact that he had been born shrouded with a caul and sporting teeth: not just ordinary teeth, either, but exceptionally long teeth, especially the canines. They were so long that the very tips were visible even with his mouth shut. Also, Timothy would gladly demonstrate (had you the stomach to watch) that he had a hollow tongue.
But on this sunny autumn day, Timothy decided to stop squandering his time chasing chickens around the coop, or tempting fate by pissing-off a large bull that he was trying to bleed. No more of that stuff, he decided. Today he would attack a human and finally satisfy "this insatiable damn thirst of mine", as he so often told his kind, albeit bewildered, friends. But who would it be?...
Ms. Burgess, everyone agreed, was a demented old bat and should have stopped teaching the day that she started over thirty-six autumns ago. But no. She had to keep teaching, she said, "to be sure that these young'uns get the proper foundations for the adult world." What a seventh-grader would need all of that for was anyone's guess, but since she was the only school teacher in rural Quietus, North Carolina, she would have to do.
Ms. Burgess was also a superstitious old woman. She did not like Timothy in the least, and made no bones about it. Frequently, she would punish him for looking at her crooked, reasoning that such an ambitious young man should be disciplined with more malice than his comrades. So it was no surprise when, on this fine, interesting day, Timothy had to stay after school and dust the chalkboard erasers.
"Now Timothy," Ms. Burgess snapped, "dust these and be quick about it, young rascal." She thrust the erasers into his hands, scraping his long nails. Tim made a low, hissing sound through his tongue.
"Now see here, young man! That's enough of that!!" she barked, then left the room, muttering something about retiring and crossing herself. Timothy was alone with his thoughts.
"Stupid old bitty," he seethed under his breath, and began to hammer the chalk dust from the erasers.
He had been doing this for about two minutes when he had a novel idea.
Ms. Burgess! She's human... that's it!! Timothy thought. I'll get rid of her and my bloodlust at the same time!
And so, he waited, smiling the whole time as he secreted himself in the room. Finally, Ms. Burgess made a reappearance.
The room was very empty when she walked in.
"Timothy?" Ms. Burgess called in the growing darkness. Silence. Outside, the angry sun fumed redly, low on the hungry horizon. She called out again, gathering her shawl around her elbows as she glanced around nervously. "Are you there?"
There was a cracking sound above her and Timothy, with a cry, dropped from the ceiling like an obscene spider. Ms. Burgess shrieked, stepped quickly to the side, and allowed him to land with a gasping thunk on some desks.
He yelped on impact, and lay there for a moment, panting.
"Timothy! Are you hurt?" Ms. Burgess asked in a cracked voice.
Timothy jumped up, lunging in retort and chased her around the room, screaming that he was a vampire at the top of his lungs and striking an occasional pose to slam this point home...
III.
"...Well, I finally cornered her," Timothy continued. He paused thoughtfully.
"And?" George prodded.
"And," Tim stated, a grin breaking out on his darkly handsome features, "she racked me right when I was going to bite her."
They both laughed out loud.
"That's when I knew I was a vampire for sure."
They sat in an awkward silence for a few moments more. Timothy anxiously studied his unusually long, sharp nails, occasionally glancing at George from beneath his waxy eyebrows. After a few more minutes, he finally said, almost too loudly: "Well, I realize how it sounds, and I can understand why you wouldn't believe me." The car shifted gently from side to side, metal wheels clacking rhythmically.
"Oh, no," George said, shaking his head and smiling. "I believe you all right. You see, I'm a vampire, too.'
Timothy gasped. "No!" he said, blushing. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize..."
"No, no," George replied, "that's quite all right -- you can't really tell with me, I know..."
"No, you can't," Timothy agreed enthusiastically, still flushed with embarrassment. "Well, why don't you tell me how you came to be one -- are you self-proclaimed like me, or --"
"Well," George started and checked his watch. The subway wouldn't be arriving at the Dis terminal for another hour yet. "Hmmm," he thought for a moment. "Well, okay. I was ten years old when I first began to feel different, you know…"
It was already beginning to feel warmer.
Friday, October 14, 2005
Seattle
One of our favorite places to eat in Seattle is the Alibi Room near the Pike Place market. This place has some amazing appetizers and salads. Jus the kind of fare for the vegetarian looking for an upscale experience. They have some decent wine selections and a great view of the sound from the window tables.And, while on the subject of Washington State, you should check out Whidbey Port. This port wine is ruby red and tastes like a bouquet of roses, sweet, deep, ruby red roses encrusted in sugar on a wedding cake, to be more precise. Yum!
Kaui View Point
Wow, look at this view from the highway on the North side of Kaui (Hawaii).This photo is from our vacation last March. We got married on the beach. This picture was from a lookout point off the highway on the North side of the island. These are poi fields. Gorgeous!
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
Rue Morge Festival of Fear Toronto Canada
Check out all of our photos at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jasunni/
Monday, September 05, 2005
*HALLOWEEN* & *HORROR CON* cool t-shirt
Here's an awesome shirt featuring Jason Brock's "Grasp". This cool black and white image of skeletong hands grasping across each other makes a really cool t-shirt for Halloween or to wear to your favorite Horror Convention!
Saturday, August 27, 2005
Last Night in Toronto
Friday, August 26, 2005
Opening Night - Rue Morgue Festival of Fear
Now it's off to the party....
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Friday, August 05, 2005
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
CAFE PRESS GRAND OPENING
We just opened our new CafePress store, http://www.cafepress.com/jasunni where you can get a large selection of our artwork on T-shirts, mugs, calendars, mousepads, stickers, notepads, and all sorts of cool items.
FEAUTURED: LEO gift items ~ Happy birthday Leos!!
Sunday, July 17, 2005
We're Back!
We've not been able to update the site for a while. We had a loss in the family and after much sadness and handling of details, we are now officially back... Thanks for the kind words. :-)
Enjoy some pictures from the con -> we'll try to post one or two a day!
~ Psyche and Eros
Monday, July 04, 2005
Traffic-Crypt
I found this traffic exchange. I think the banner ad is really cool. So far it seems to be a pretty good one. Give it a try!
Saturday, June 18, 2005
New Italian Charms ~ Rising Signs
These are really cool. You can do a three-piece set of Sun, Moon and Rising to get your entire "big 3" on your bracelet.
I'm also finishing up creating a whole new Flower Faerie line. There will be 33 new Faerie charms added soon!!
Thanks to all of our customers for your support! I'll be doing FREE one-page birthcharts and personal hand-created astrological interpretations of your chart if you mention that you saw this on our site in your payment comments when you order 2 or more charms!!!
Hey, somebody should tag me...
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
Wine Review: Dark Star Cellars
We liked what we tasted there, and ended up taking home a couple of bottles. Night before last, we tried Celebration:
"A celebration of Harvest! To make this wine, we remove 100 gals of juice from each lot of grapes that comes to the winery during harvest. We place all the juice in one tank and slowly ferment it at forty degrees during the entire harvest, adding juice each time we harvest a vineyard. At the end of Harvest we celebrate by warming the tank and finishing the wine. This wine was fermented over a two month period."
This is a sweet blush. It's a great desert wine. We had it post pizza as I was craving something light and refreshing. We ended up downing the whole bottle and getting quite tipsy. Well, that was fun. :-) This wine is delicious ice cold. It is a lot like drinking a *very* refined wine cooler. Definitely worth a try.
Last night we indulged in the Ricordati:
"Ricordati (always remember) Is a complex Bordeaux style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (63%), Merlot (30%), and Cabernet Franc (7%). This wine in its ten year history has won 18 Gold Medals and a Best In Class at International Wine Competitions. Deep, Dark, Cherry, Plum, Raspberry, Maple. Excellent with Pastas, Red Sauces and Meats.
Only 750 cases produced."
Now this wine was deep and complex. It's a great red dinner wine. Very leggy and a bit spicy. Give it breathing room and sip it slowly. We're waiting to finish off the bottle with some pasta and crusty bread. At the winery, we were told that Ricordati was named to remember those that had lived before us. Very cool. I give it 4.5 stars out of 5 compared to my favorite reds.
A note to the Vegan Police: I had an email exchange with the winemaker and they do not use any animal products during any process. Most better wines don't these days. I checked for isinglass, etc. I routinely check and I want to encourage vegans and vegetarians to not forego wine due to the widespread notion in the vegan community that 99.9% of wines use animal products. It's just not true and you don't have to restrict yourself to something marked organic coming out of a soy field in some backcountry. Just do your research (and stay away from the boxed stuff :-))
Sunday, June 12, 2005
Vegan Mozzarella for Pizza - NEW!!!
This cheese was very moist and it grated very nicely. It took some coaxing to melt but it did melt. The best thing though is that it tastes incredible. Better than any other cheese alternative we've tried. I'm sold!
Incredible! Go to this website and see if you can find it near you: http://www.imearthkind.com/index.html I think you can also order online.
Here's our killer pizza tonight:
Awesome Pizza Crust from "Poolish" Recipe
Rich & Red Pizza Sauce
Shredded Vegan Mozarella from "Follow Your Heart" (Vegan Gourmet Cheese Alternative)
Yves Canadian Bacon (soy, vegan)
Mushrooms
Sliced red bell pepper
Marinated artichoke hearts
Sundried tomatoes
Capers
Sliced Pepperocini peppers (no sulfites)
Sliced Kalamata olives
Baked for 10 minutes at 450, then another 10 at 500.
Rich & Red Pizza Sauce
2 Tbsp. Light Olive Oil
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
4-5 fresh basil leaaves, torn
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves only (remove the leaves from the twigs)
1 Tbsp. fresh oregano
1 Tbsp. fresh thyme
1 6 oz. can organic tomato paste
6 oz. (use the can) water
sea salt (optional) to taste
2 Tbsp. red wine (optional)
crushed dried red chile pepper (optional) to taste
Heat the olive oil in a small saute pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and herbs and saute until the garlic is translucent and the herbs are wilted and slightly crunchy around the edges. (Go get fresh herbs. I see you reaching for the spice rack. I'm gonna reach out of this monitor and slap your hand away. Take your lazy butt to the store and get the real thing. It makes a 1000% difference. [aside: to the 0.002% of you who are about to write to me about the splendors of your spice garden and growing your own organic herbs, I'm not talking to you.])
Add the tomato paste and slowly stir in the water. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the salt, wine and pepper if desired and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. (It works out great if you start this while the pizza dough is on its last stage of rising).
This makes enough sauce for the 16" super pizza. I just scrape it all out of the saute pan and onto the dough then spread it out with the back of the wooden spoon that I used to stir it.
Article on vegan cheese results coming up soon...
Thursday, June 09, 2005
Fix your Google Ads for Traffic Exchanges
google_page_url = document.location;
Just put it in there with the other google lines on a line by itself.
Hope this helps!
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
F DUBYA
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
In Search of the Perfect Vegan Pizza...
I was 99.9% there with my last try. I'm hoping this new cheese will seal the deal.
First, I must rave about this pizza dough recipe from the book "Entertaining for a Veggie Planet" by Didi Emmons. Here is a gratuitous link to Amazon:
The key to this recipe is to start it the night before you want to make pizza and double it, triple it, or quadruple it so you can freeze some dough for later!!! This is such excellent pizza dough. It is delicious and well worth the 2 days of rising, punch, rolling and hair-pulling. Trust me!
This recipe is based on a "poolish" sour-dough starter (which means Polish, but it's a lot tastier than the San Francisco way IMHO). You start by mixing some dry yeast with warm water and flour, then let it sit in a warm place for 6-8 hours to create the starter. Then you mix and knead the dough and let it rise again. (This is why I say start the night before :-) )
Here is the recipe modified for my practical usage - doubled so that once you go through all this trouble you can freeze some for later. The unmodified recipe claims that it makes enough for six 8-inch pizzas. In my own experience, I have found that it makes enough for one 16-inch jumbo pizza. My inner math geek says that is really only 64(pi) square inches versus the claim of 96(pi) square inches of covered surface area. Maybe I just like my crust a little thicker or perhaps the author was confused about how long 8 inches really is. (I used the ruler that was handed out as a promo at the Kinsey movie premier.)
1/2 packet of active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
3 cups white flour (organic, unbleached preferred in our house)
In a large bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water. Add the flour and mix until fully combined. Cover with a dishtowel or plastic wrap and let stand in a mildly warm place for 5 to 6 hours or until tripled in size and bubbly. (I usually cover it with a dishtowel and put it in the bathroom with the heat lamp turned on. You'll know it's working when it's getting bubbly and smells like a brewery.) After 5-6 hours, mix this into the dough recipe below.
Dough
6 1/2 cups white flour (organic unbleached, and I like to use half spelt flour, plus extra for rolling)
1 cup whole wheat flour (organic)
1/2 cup semolina, plus extra for stacking. (I like to use masa meal here)
2 Tablespoons salt
the other 1/2 package active dry yeast
2 cups warm water
2 Tabelspoons olive oil
In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients (except the yeast). Mix well. In another large bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and stir to dissolve. Add the Poolish from the above recipe and the olive oil and stir until the poolish is broken up. Add the flour mixture and stir with a big wooden spoon or spatula. Use a cutting motion to bring the dowl together. You can also use a dough hook on an electric mixer, but I like to do it old school and give my arms a work-out. It's more interesting in texture as well.
Now, cover it again with the trusty dishtowel and return it to the warm place for 45 minutes to an hour or until it rises and doubles in size.
Take the big fluffy dough and turn it out onto a large floured surface. Beat the crap out of it for a while then give it a good massage. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes until it bounces back easily.
Guess what now? Back to the bowl. Cover and return to the warm place. If you are done for the evening, you can let it rise for an hour and then refrigerate it as is in the bowl overnight. If you're an early bird and it's just now breaking noon or you don't expect to eat this pizza 'til after midnight, let it rise for another 5 hours.
Are you ready to roll out the dough yet? Divide the dough in half. If you are only making one super pizza, freeze half of the dough. I just stick it in a ziplock freezer bag and throw it in there. When you are ready to use it, just take it out the night before, throw it in the fridge and then pick up here the next night.
On a large floured surface, roll the ball out to a round large enough to exceed your pizza pan by about 1/2" around. Use a lightly floured rolling pin. Sprinkle the top and bottom with semolina. Lay it in the pizza pan, roll the edged inward to make an edge and press down. Send it to the warm place again to rise, this time for only 30 minutes.
Top and bake!! For a thinly topped pizza 10-15 minutes at 500 degrees is superb. For a heavily topped veggie lover you can do 20 minutes at 450.
World Vegetarian And Vegan News
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This is a great website. Tony needs to add BlogRoll so we can all link to him with ease.
Monday, June 06, 2005
GreenZap - it's up and running
Yes, it really is there and the money is there. Join now while they are still doing the $25.00 free money promo!!
Thursday, June 02, 2005
White Buffalo ~ Poem by Eros
White Buffalo
"I see you in the infinite pattern of the stars reflected -
Life upon life in a rolling thunder clap across the plains -"
This is what White Buffalo told me at our chance encounter.
Lolling his huge shaggy head to the left, he regarded me with his lively blue
eye.
"Eagle has seen from the sky, Gila has heard in the ground, salmon feels in the
river that the end is soon at hand."
I pondered on this a moment.
"Why?" I asked of my giant, alabaster-haired companion.
"The pale-face has destroyed the Human Beings and the Buffalo tribes; the Kiowa
woman, she saw the buffalo go.
I stayed behind to warn you,
And now I must be off..."
With that, the last of the living totems
Tore off into the mists of time, fire dancing at his hooves,
Cracking the opals of infinity,
To join his clans in the mountain; an exaltation of larks took wing.
His Medicine lost to the world of the White Man forever.
The woman who begat the world
Opened her mouth and Death jumped out.
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
In the Land of Faerie
Oh, my Stars
Thursday, May 26, 2005
Leo ~ Poetry and Art by Eros
Eros wrote this poem for his father after he passed away.
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Sunday, May 22, 2005
Star Tours
What a busy weekend!
Yesterday we took a tour of the stars homes and graves in Hollywood and
Beverly Hills. It was incredibly fun. I think the tour guides were blown away by
Eros' knowledge of the film and TV industries. They kept trying to offer him a
job!
Some of the highlights were: Marilyn Monroe's grave, Bob Barker's house,
Snoop Dog's house (we could see his party balcony), Jack Laird's grave,
Dean Martin's grave, Johnny Depp's house, Walter Matthau's grave, Sylvester
Stallone's house and favorite car, the Gershwin's houses, the hotel
where Janis Joplin died, the hotel that Led Zeppelin trashed, Dee Dee Ramone's
grave, and the Spelling estate.
Then we stopped by the Hustler store on Sunset strip for some naughty stuff
and took home some awesome vegan fast food from Astroburger.
Eros has gone manic over reorganizing everything in the house. Our new studio
space kicks butt! I've been updating the website and trying to keep up
production on orders from the store. All this and I'm trying to manage a DVD
software release to my former employer (AKA "the Evil Empire") for Longhorn Beta
1.
Yikes!
Keep sending me your birthdata for my astrocharm testing. I'll send you a
free PDF birthchart and a gmail invite.
Click Here (include your birthdate, place and time).
Friday, May 20, 2005
Art and Photography (Click here to buy online)
Near Midnight - Photography by Eros
Causes of Paranoia - Photography by Eros
Artic Grassland - digital photo taken in the Alaska wilderness by Eros
The photo to accompany "Crows".
The Stranger - original art by Eros
The cover for Totems & Taboos.
The art to accompany "Papillion".
The art to accompany "Conglomerate"
Sister Moon - a collage by Psyche
Abstract Portrait of Eros -by Psyche
Music
This is where we will be posting demos from Chiaroscuro/Graft and upcoming new material...
Your Taste in Music: |
| Progressive Rock: Highest Influence |
| 80's Pop: High Influence |
| Heavy Metal: High Influence |
| 80's Alternative: Medium Influence |
| 80's R&B: Medium Influence |
| 90's Alternative: Medium Influence |
| Old School Hip Hop: Medium Influence |
| Punk: Medium Influence |
| 90's Hip Hop: Low Influence |
| 90's R&B: Low Influence |
| Hair Bands: Low Influence |
| R&B: Low Influence |
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
Index of Poetry
Index of Poetry
Poems by Eros (chiaroscuro5) (Pre-Order the Book, Totems and Taboos.)
Samples from the book, "Totems and Taboos"
- Gravity
- Removal
- Emetic
- Hurry Sickness (is that a self-portrait?)
- The Beauty of Decay
Poems by Psyche (jasonspsyche)
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Send me your astrological data...
Also, if you need a gmail invite, send me mail. I have plenty to give away.
Friday, May 13, 2005
Stabbing Pleasure ~ a Poem by Psyche
I smell your desire
Inhaling your breath
As our tongues touch then embrace
And I reach downward
Smoothing the warm mist of perspiration
Over the tingling hairs of your navel
You rise suddenly and
Your arrow pricks my finger
Leaving a single drop of sticky sweetness
On my throbbing fingertip
My nipples are racing
To escape their bindings
I feel my thighs trembling
My stomach tightens
I am clenching
Moist, warm, and waiting
Engorged with the thrill
Of your immanent entry
Maneuvering my hips over yours
Freeing my full breasts
And cupping them
Into your face
Biting, teasing, nibbling
A direct nerve
Between my bosom
And maidenhead
I feel your arrow tapping
Ready to accept my invitation
I am so swollen it aches
Engorged to the edge of ecstasy
Breath held for a moment
My lips part in anticipation
Then the tip barely probing
I feel myself spreading slowly
You gliding gently, firmly in
In...
In...
Deeper,
Slowly,
Ever deeper
Until I can hardly -
Your
Arrow
Plunges
Deeply
Into
My
Open
Heart
...and I gasp as I teeter on the brink
and you retreat
then stab again
and again
and I die a little
again
and again
Until I break open
Gushing love from my legs
in a torrent release of rapture
flowing down the creases of our bodies
into rivulets over the sheets
Saturday, May 07, 2005
Spring Cleaning
It's going to be a nice work space. We still need to finish the computer desk and the computer.
My flu is finally subsiding. Thank god. My skin is looking awesome now - 1 week post IPL photo-facial and laser brazilian (OUCH). I swear that hurt worse than any dental procedure or major surgery. But, I think it was well worth it. Just two more treatments to go.
Well, we're off to Real Food in Beverly Hills for dinner to celebrate our accomplishments. I'll report later on the food and any celebrity sightings...
Tuesday, May 03, 2005
Flu Bug Don't Bother Me
The flu is annoying. I wish it would end soon, but it keeps coming back for more.
I was playing with the Google Video Search tool. Check out what comes up for "vegan". There are some talk show transcripts with Alicia Silverstone. That's cool. We saw her at Real Food Daily in Beverly Hills a couple of months ago.
Well, my love is on the way home, bringing me coffee and cough syrup. We're going to do miso soup and veggie sushi tonight. And a lot of sexual healing later on....
I can't wait to show him the design I did for book cover. It's really cool. If he likes it, I'll post it later.
I also added a link to my Ebay stuff. I have a couple of listings for the custom astrology Italian charm links.
Monday, May 02, 2005
Running its course...
The poetry book is going well. We finished the initial
layout last night and started the artwork and page design. This is very
exciting. I'm thrilled to help bring Eros' writing and art to the world. He is
truly an amazing and talented being.
After we finish this project, we'll finish my cookbook.
Then for some joint projects. Music, art, writing ...
We got our new cameras and printer set up this weekend.
It's awesome. I can't wait to get back to the creative projects. I have to write
a functional spec for work today. Gack - nothing like hardcore technical writing
to put a kink in your brain, especially with this damn flu...
My mind needs to purge -
Fatal Personality
An overgrown embryo naked in a
field
She pretended she was dead
Telephone booth, lost hair
"I'm cold," she cried
Adult Attention Deficit Syndrome -
Look at me, look for me, who cares about me?
Do you?
Care about yourself?
THINK!
You are ridiculous. Face it.
Take responsibility sisters.
I reserve the right to refuse
redemption to any one.
You must redeem yourself.
Don't cry May Day to me!
Survive your Winter and celebrate Rebrith.
No more hibernation - no more
avoiding
You are in control
and always were...
Take your lashes -
Batting them won't save you now
You've got it coming to you
Take it and run with it
...and stay away;
I don't need it.
Murder
Murder
There is a poetry to murder:
That cannot be denied;
A lyricism to malevolence
That approaches the sublime.
There is a meter
To the flutter
Of a slowly dying heart-
An unearthly syncopation,
Beyond replication,
That echoes quietly
In the corridors
Of each dying mind's head...
It screams from diseased bodies
Of whores on every street;
Sighs from broken hopes
Of vagrants as they are beaten;
Born in the region of total mortal dread
It cries from the plane of misery
Of dreams that can never be;
Singing with every gash
Of the drug addict's blade;
And chorusing empathically,
From the blood of the slain.
Murder:
It speaks with the tongue of destruction,
And howls with the voice of the Dead,
Each canto a promise carved in flesh,
Every line an ode to blood, pain and madness.
Hodmadod
Hodmadod
I.
"Murder of Crows"
Crackling softly in the dark,
The dying embers of the fire throw
Shifting shadows on the walls.
The wind sighs.
Peering dreamily
Out of the window through the soft drizzle,
I see the slowly bruising night sky:
Sparkling with the diamonds-in-velvet of light
Billions of years old.
Lightning flashes, distantly: jagged, phosphorous.
Like phosphenes,
The waxing, gibbous moon shines-
Blacklight in the cold.
II.
Further away, the black ink trees
Gently sway in a cool autumn breeze...
Evening fog snakes along the ground-
A parliament of owls awakens.
In Medieval times, just as today,
The shortened days and long frosty nights
Marked the end of the harvest.
III.
Then, as now, the lonely, hideously-shaped
King of the Fields
Presided with eerie silence on the far hill brow,
A silhouetted crucifix against the twilit sky
Watching.
Watching, perhaps biding his time-
Standing in drunken, stiffly contorted attention,
As befits one without a skeleton,
Through snow, rain, heat and cold-
Patient:
His only movements
The flapping of frayed cloth in the wind.
IV.
The Emperor of Emptiness,
Sadly surveying his stark, terrible
Empire of dying vegetation.
Still, he watches me;
Sagging arms outstretched,
As the mist envelopes his lower body,
Partially dismembered by a late autumn storm...
I recall that I once read
Of killers hiding within
Scarecrows during pursuit;
Of murderers secreting bodies,
Thieves stashing loot-
Of haunted scarecrows
Rising up during the festival of Samhain.
Strangers and passers-by
Attack them unprovoked:
Stabbing and mutilating
These soundless, solemn effigies.
Unsettled, no doubt,
By the proximity of the near-human.
V.
My skin grows prickly and I draw the curtain,
just as the Hodmadod is cloaked in fog.
I check the lock one last time before retiring-
Was that a sound on the other side of the door?
No...
Just the wind, I think.
In my mind's eye,
I see the King of the Field's face:
Cruelly frowning with his slash of a mouth;
Drippy, red painted eyes-
Watching me watching him...
VI.
The next morning,
Grey through the window, as the mist rolls away,
I can see that my doppelganger
Has wandered off again-
I open the door and the Jack-a-Lent tumbles in-
Limp,
his stuffing poking around stringy cloth hands and feet,
out of his shirt, and beneath his shrunken leather hat.
His frozen features frown angrily up from the floor-
Staring.
The way he holds himself...
Perhaps more than one expects from a man of rags,
Stuffing, sticks and duff.
"Just the storm again," I murmur, gently lifting him up
to return to his cruciform.
It's only a matter of time for the King of the Fields-
And his endless, eldritch reign...