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Post by buxom9sorceress on Nov 29, 2016 20:29:05 GMT -5
This is a little Lovecraftian piece I wrote about a stranded traveler whose car breaks down in the desert near the ruins of a mystical city... In The City of Zalasaros 'Neath stormy skies ’n ghoul-spied passes, I sought my way to stumble- ‘Midst dark surrounds, a demon-cursed city, the structures all a-crumble- My machine failed sorely, leaving me stranded, ‘midst swooping desert dunes- Whose musically shifting sands and weeds made cryptic, creepy tunes- With scorching days behind me, ’n taking ne’er walked desert trails- If I’d only known that final horror t’ follow days of fearful travails! My eyes quite weary, my torch long dimmed, my senses numbed by fright; With hours counting ’n days now numbered, a sallow radiance came to sight; What baleful gleam is this, I thought, what lantern-flame - or glow? A torch, perhaps, or candle-fire, but knew only one way I might know; My grip I filled, from a desert tree, a hearty branch of wood- And with said weapon I did battle, where THEY crawled ‘n writhed ‘n stood- For now I know what I did not before, that HE does indeed live and writhe- That crab-clawed Zalasaros – that Feaster of Ten-million eyes- HE came to this plane, no man knows, in times long distant and past- To blast men’s eyes ‘n carve out their souls, leaving their minds aghast; And how, says you, how did I, give the slip to that crab-clawed fiend- It occurred, you see as, near a rail, in a tower of stone I leaned; The same broke forth, ‘n down I went, as head over heel I tumbled- Somehow crossing distances vast till at last in San Juan I fumbled; The thing I mark, and on which I marvel, is Chicago is from hence I departed- But two-thousand miles and two-hundred years is far from where I started But no man crossed old Zalasaros and leaving went not unaffected- I survived to tell the tale, you see, but there’s no one I know that’s not dead; My mind’s yet hale, or so I think, but these times are certainly strange- And I miss the century in whence I was born, and from which I am now estranged; Hi Chris. In The City of Zalasaros = very good indeed. No Finer Hour = very good. A Shroud = very good. I am enjoying your quality poems very much. Thanks for entertaining me well. >> and thanks for the link to Psychopompos: A Tale in Rhyme - By H. P. Lovecraft. Tis a very good long ballad poem. i did not know that HPL could write with such zest. [ i admire him even more now ]
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Post by ChrisLAdams on Dec 1, 2016 16:29:40 GMT -5
Beyond a good rhyme I also like to delve into free verse, spoken word type stuff, simply for the sake of honing my word craft. This piece is part of a short series I did awhile back called The Poet. It's not a rhyme, and not even free verse, not carrying any measure of meter, but I still like it.
The Visionary
Midnight is the name of the sky, the sable cloak I don every eve at this time. The fiery eyes of the firmament once again search my soul, exploring my features with their tranquil light. I am one with this nocturnal world, my thoughts racing with the comets, leaping and bounding thru' space to distant worlds and cerebral expanding vortices...
A sun detonates in a distant galaxy, a star of unknown hues, creating new nebulae, giving birth to the void. Vapour and light explode from the point of cataclysm, seeking a world… Colours frolic and dance o’er wave crests, crashing on shores no eye has beheld. Filling caverns and canyons, ricocheting from alien foliage, the particles explore their new-found domain…
Then, swift as thought, the vapours and lights, the colours and particles and atoms of a destroyed cosmos race thru' the aether, thru timelessness as black as the pits of Erebus; racing swiftly and violently until at last, at long last, after traveling untold billions of light years...
They come to rest and find peace in our heavens...
And I, your poet, walk my garden in the mid-of-night beneath their inquisitive gaze as the wind soughs thru' the oaks and the maples. And the stars are my inquisitors, the meteors are my questors, the comets are my guardians and my God is the deep black void...
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Post by ChrisLAdams on Dec 1, 2016 16:38:40 GMT -5
Another piece from my Poet series. A bit more traditional, this one.
Gray
The poet slumbers and these fill his dreams…
Gray-cast skies and cliffs of gray Gray waves crashing and gray birds of prey Tumult whorling 'round with velocity of sound Confusion mounting all around
Monster-filled oceans and oceans full of sorrow Sorrow-filled thoughts ‘midst dreams of despair Panic mounting higher, panic taking sway Moon-specked, dappled-crests crashing in the spray
Ten thousand symphonies make a terrible din Ten thousand choirs of a hundred-million djinn Ten thousand voices all crying out in pain Ten thousand souls in death's silence lain…
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Post by Von K on Dec 4, 2016 19:22:07 GMT -5
Hi VK. ... I look forward to a new poem by you, please? [ what about a Hyrkanian limerick, maybe? or more canoe adventures, in Pictland? ] Hi Bux, Last time I tried canoeing in Pictland I had to make a hasty retreat and my canoe bristled like a porcypine with heron feathered shafts. These days I just paddle out on the great lakes. Up there there's only the vampire moose (meese/mooses?) so its a whole lot more peaceful. They was a Hyrcanian buck Who's passel of goats ran amuk When he set off in chase They fled 'fore his face So alas he was plumb outta luck.
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Post by Von K on Dec 4, 2016 19:28:27 GMT -5
This is a little Lovecraftian piece I wrote about a stranded traveler whose car breaks down in the desert near the ruins of a mystical city... In The City of Zalasaros Welcome aboard Chris. You look to be an old hand at writing poems and lyrics. Some great ones there esp Zalasaros.
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Post by ChrisLAdams on Dec 5, 2016 8:45:58 GMT -5
This is a little Lovecraftian piece I wrote about a stranded traveler whose car breaks down in the desert near the ruins of a mystical city... In The City of Zalasaros Welcome aboard Chris. You look to be an old hand at writing poems and lyrics. Some great ones there esp Zalasaros. Von, Glad to be here man, and thanks for the welcome! Loving the forum so far. I got my rhyming start writing death metal lyrics as a teenager in the 80s in my first band. I can't recall now what my first actual poetic attempt was, but yeah, I've been dabbling in the format for a little while. My first 'song' I ever wrote had the horrendous title Pyranhic Decapitation - I wish I still had a copy! And thanks for the kind words about Zalasaros. I got the idea at work one day and ripped out like the first three/quarters of it fairly quickly. Then I hit a snag and put it aside for months, eventually forgetting all about it. I only came across it a short while ago, finished the ending then rewrote all of it. FYI Zalasaros is a morph/blend I made up from the phrase Vale of Sorrows.
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Post by ChrisLAdams on Dec 5, 2016 15:25:23 GMT -5
Von got me thinking about old song lyrics.
Most, like the bands I was in when I wrote them, are long gone.
But I did stumble on a couple the rhyme community might enjoy. Below is one I refer to as my 'hick song' although its never been set to music. It's official name is...
A Powerful Hankerin’
I got no desire to travel afar Jes' gimme a beer and a sweet see-gar;
I never cared much 'bout purty gals 'druther drink, and smoke and hang w/ my pals;
I love a good tune with a snort of moonshine But do pass me a smoke and that'll be fine;
I've a powerful hankerin' for a cold, dark brew T'wash down a bowl of beef and tater stew;
But that's Ok if that's all ya got I take what I get, an' don't need a lot;
But I don't like a bar, nor a wild n' crazy crowd Don't like to talk when it's too dam* loud;
I jes like to hang and have a drink with my buds As we shoot the bull and soak up some suds;
So pass me a beer, and I prefer a dark But I'll take what ya got, cause life's a lark;
You see I know it'll all come t'an end someday So I don't fret much if the beer's a bit light, ey;
But do gimme a smoke, if ya gots one handy Yeah, a Marb'll do, I ain't no dandy;
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Post by ChrisLAdams on Dec 5, 2016 15:41:37 GMT -5
A song I penned after a girl and I separated after seeing one another for four and a half years or so. It was a dark time for awhile - the perfect time for dark lyrics! Music was in Drop-D so the guys in the 3-piece I was in at the time always called it 'Down with D' ha-ha. ~Chris
Down with Me
How chill the night and how damp the mist Where is the sun to heat my blood like wine? Th' moon splits the clouds as I think about you Silver shadows dance ‘n leave a blur behind
Black is my heart and dark are my thoughts Steeped in depression and simmered in a fire With each inhalation my emotions grow stronger No longer pleasant, just ugly and dire
-Chorus-
Blackened mask of feigned angelity Promises sworn and never kept Mysteries and lies to cover untruths Mystic veil hidin’ a demon
---Repeat---
Where for me are the tender arms of mercy No caress in the night for the sad, sad clown Stand before the mirror see a twisted freak There's nothin' lifting higher it's just draggin' me down.
-Chorus-
Blackened mask of feigned angelity Promises sworn and never kept Mysteries and lies to cover untruths Mystic veil hidin’ a demon
---Repeat---
-Lead-
Where for me are the tender arms of mercy No caress in the night for the sad, sad clown Stand before the mirror see a twisted freak Nothing lifting higher, just a draggin' me down.
-Chorus-
Blackened mask of feigned angelity Promises sworn and never kept Mysteries and lies to cover untruths Mystic veil hidin’ a demon
---Repeat---
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Post by Von K on Dec 6, 2016 3:23:33 GMT -5
Some great stuff there Chris.
Bux, Deuce and myself have been known to turn our pens to lyrics from time to time.
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Post by ChrisLAdams on Dec 6, 2016 9:09:43 GMT -5
Some great stuff there Chris. Bux, Deuce and myself have been known to turn our pens to lyrics from time to time. Glad you enjoyed the songs, Von. Wish I played as much as I used to! I need to hop back in the guitar thread, post a picture of my new rig. Working on another Lovecraftian themed poem at the moment, taking a break from a story I'm trying to finish up this year. Hope to post the poem soon. By the way, here is a cool link I've used for years whenever I've gotten in a pinch on a rhyme. Some may know of it already, but in case not it's a great reference site. www.rhymezone.com/
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Post by ChrisLAdams on Dec 7, 2016 13:26:53 GMT -5
This short little piece called Dark Paths I've always liked, but never expanded upon it. It always reminded me of a Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath kind of theme, with a little Atlantean influence thrown in for good measure. So I recently allowed the single stanza poem to take me where it would, and came up with The Traveler.
Dark Paths
Along darkened paths I’ve trod, my only companions the light of the moon and the crash of the crest; In my drug-embraced slumber my dream-venture begins… I seek vermilion seas and archipelagos of myth. And the ships of silence still thread the 'mare; where will I find my ultimate reality?
The Traveler
Along nighted paths that eve’ I trod- My sole companion was the moon, along the sea I plod;
The crashing waves I did me hear- And felt the crashing sound, whilst groping blind in silent fear;
To unhallowed crypt my feet did guide- A sepulcher of old that hid within the cliffs inside;
The book I placed on head of stone- And nearly fainted when from below I heard the mummy moan;
Malygris writ this thing of old- In which is claimed on how to find a long lost love is gravely told;
‘Tis told to dream in drugg’ed sleep- My vacant body soon to lie on frozen stone as shadows creep;
Enchanted words and skeleton’s flame- I quaffed the drug, and muttered words to n’er be said by no one sane;
Narcotic dreamscapes about me rose- The skull at me was staring with its tallow candle eyes aglow;
‘Twas my heart which did my plans steer- That caused my soul to flee my clay, and cast me into straights so drear;
For Paradise was that I sought- But ‘twas a meteor in the Abyss where I did land with dangers fraught;
Vivid nightmare in a somnolent trance- Where toothy Night-Gaunts, breath so foul, cavort and dance;
And so in nighted dark I skulk- And hide from Ghouls, and Ghasts, and Dholes and Shoggoths’ bulging bulk;
For they are one and all here you see- And so from Cthulhu and Yog-Sothoth, too, and yes from Nyarlathotep I flee;
The Fungi from Yuggoth would claim my brain- If not for that, yet upon Earth, in darkened tomb I’d left it lain;
At some vast distance my body yet lies- In cosmos far, beside a sea, inside stone tomb, ‘neath storm-tossed skies;
That tallow candle yet weirdly grins- As over my flesh it stands a watch, while I to her side sought vainly to win;
Darkness surrounds me; ‘tis all I see- But recalled a grinning candle-skull, with waning eyes, staring down on me;
In this dark place I’m not meant to be- But ‘less awakens that distant clay, my soul may not go where I so wish to flee;
I fear that forever on this meteor I’ll dwell- Till some dark beastie ensnares my soul; takes it to Chaos or some other Dark Hell;
My anguished appeal I did through yon skull make- That through gumless jaws and rattily bones and dimming eyes my mortal clay did 'wake’;
Aroused in one world; no longer in this- For with terror-peal I fled that dark place, flew back to sweet Earth and escaped that Abyss;
And now I know – she, I’m no more to see- So await the hour, the time of my death, when I in Paradise again draw her to me;
The Book of Malygris I left on cold tomb- That Mage of Poseidonis whose wizardly words cast into darkness ’n nigh sealed my doom;
So back up the strand I fled saddened next day- Back to Atlantis and took up my crown where I rule that fair city by sea and by quay;
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After I finished The Traveler it reminded me of a poem I wrote in high school called The Last Atlantean. It was a full page in length, but all I can recall are the last two lines. Frak, wish my memory was photographic!
Fragment from The Last Atlantean
And taking last look at sun, sky and quay, He leapt from the cliff, joining his brothers beneath the waves...
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Post by buxom9sorceress on Dec 9, 2016 6:27:15 GMT -5
Hi Chris thanks for all your poems. 'the traveller' [ with lovecraftian lore ] is my current fave by you. ...more please...? ==== >> Hey VK, Thanks for your new 'buck' rhyme. ==== [ i am now listening to BUT I WANT MORE - by schenker group [ from 1981 ] i am a big fan of michael's best rock music. been loving his 2012 performance on youtube [ 1h 40mins ] superb concert by 1 of my top guitar gods ]
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Post by buxom9sorceress on Dec 9, 2016 10:29:03 GMT -5
~~~ Crushing ~~~
A strong barbarian the Python did chase
They power wrestled each other face to face
Ears and noses bled
Eyes popped from their head
They both died panting in each others embrace.
~~~~~
[ by Bux ] --- [po72]
[ very grim. ]
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Post by ChrisLAdams on Dec 12, 2016 13:12:01 GMT -5
~~~ Crushing ~~~ A strong barbarian the Python did chase They power wrestled each other face to face Ears and noses bled Eyes popped from their head They both died panting in each others embrace. ~~~~~ [ by Bux ] --- [po72] [ very grim. ] ...
A wizard old did witness the fight To magi's eyes a strange and bloody sight Til bethought him a spell - The mangled pair from Hell And conjured their spirits that very night!
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Post by ChrisLAdams on Dec 12, 2016 15:53:47 GMT -5
The Spectre from Beyond
A spectre shadow did flit and did drift- In blissful expectancy he did explore; O'er worlds undremt he flew so swift- Crossing midnight seas and nighted moor;
Thru' rifts in time he sought him a lair- And hoped him soon a mate to find; Against a blackened sun's dark glare- Where spectral figures there entwine;
He dreamed of love and love's embrace- Knowing not one wit of mortal lands; He sought a pair of coal-black eyes- O'er volcanic glass and shifting sands;
The spirit wished a place called home- Where with one other he might stay; Be it on dry land or in briny foam- It mattered not to th' beast of Fey;
While spectres sought their fiery mates- Cavorting as two-backed beasts that day; To spell-cast snare the spirit fell bait- And to alien world was dragged in dismay;
Candles were set at cardinal points- As some strange figure o'er yonder stood; And salt was poured inside stone joints- While figure stared 'neath somber hood;
The spectre fought his prison well- A force 'gainst which he stood no chance; Until he saw twixt stone and candle- Where grain of salt had fell askance;
A narrow space, too small to see- But spirit eyes be not mortal clay; And thru' slim space he did him flee- To stand there grim before the wizard in gray;
Th' wizard's mouth did drop agape- As somber monster at throat lept; And watched demonic form take shape- His wyrmwood staff he upward swept;
Yet far too slow moved wizard's arm- As demon ripped out throat and gore; He thought that he'd been safe from harm- The spirit, his slave, forever more;
His dying thoughts all vain regret- And flesh the meal of monster dire; His death-curse spell he'd thought well met- Yet cannot harm a beast of hell-fire;
Now misery dogs that spirit's black hoofs- As here in mortal world he roams; And creeps thru' windows and o'er the roofs- And glares in at poets as they write their dark poems;
Bell, book and candle did doom him to stay- And so all alone he slays and he groans; Candle, book, bell did mark that dark Fey- So takes his pleasure in raw flesh and cracked bones;
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