What if I'm just the butt of a cosmic joke?
What if God is the cruelest bully of all,
Having a laugh as my dreams go up in smoke,
Loving to see me feeling two foot small?
Which is worse when everything is said and done;
A spiteful creator or oblivion?
A universe that's mean and arbitrary
Constructed by a deity uncaring.
notes
Here's the prompt for today's poem. I loosely interpreted the instructions.
https://experiencewriting.com/2023/10/13/oct-13-prompts-stirring-the-ashes/
The form is a Rispetto.
http://www.shadowpoetry.com/resources/wip/rispetto.html
The rhyme scheme for a Rispetto is abab ccdd. It's supposed to be written in iambic tetrameter, but I have no idea how well I did with that. Most lines in the examples I saw were eleven syllables, so I think of it as Elevensies, and that gets the job done.
Now for a little ornery philosophy. Or Cthulhu Mythos geekery. Or Lovecraftian fangirling. Whatever.
Azathoth really isn't a good example of a demiurge. He's primordial chaos. Nyarlathotep is closer to a demiurge, but this poem isn't about him because he's not, in fact, a cosmic bully. He only messes with people who are asking for it, like megalomaniac wizards or power-hungry politicians.
I wrote a poem about Nyarlathotep that I'm pretty proud of. I really dig the image I included with it too.
https://poetryofthenetherworld.blogspot.com/2021/03/sympathy-for-nyarlathotep.html
I still have more to do today, so I think I'll leave it at that. If you'd like to go further down the Demiurge's rabbit hole, here's your entrance.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demiurge
~Ornery Owl Has Philosophized, Geeked Out, and Fangirled~
"Do not ask me to choose between Tales From the Dreamlands One and Two, Owl! I will not have one without the other! Then again, The Quest for Captain Sammy's Treasure is a treasure unto itself! Of course, the short and sweet tale of Nyarlathotep's star-crossed love with Queen Nathicana always brings a briny tear to my eye. 'Tis an impossible choice!"
Free use image from Pixabay
"You've still got tentacles to spare, Squid Mage. Why not take 'em all?"
Shameless Self-Promotion:
If you like weird Lovecraftian fantasy with a touch of comedy and that certain je ne sais quoi, be sure to check out all the stories in the Tales From the Dreamlands series. All except The Quest for Captain Sammy's Treasure are free with Kindle Unlimited.
Nyarlathotep's Journey
This 3000-word story reveals the origins of the ancient cosmic sorceress Yadira Root, daughter of the Outer God Nyarlathotep, and Queen Nathicana of the doomed world of Zaïs. It provides a unique interpretation of Nyarlathotep, the most nuanced and intelligent of H.P. Lovecraft's Outer Gods.
Ketil and Yitzy's Adventure in the Xura Dream House
In this fix-up novella, the fate of the Cosmos rests in the hands of an unlikely team of unusual friends. Will an exiled member of an ancient extraterrestrial race, a human ghost, and two ghouls be able to outfox an ancient evil and beat Nyarlathotep at his game before time runs out? This buddy story is the first in a series of New Cthulhu Mythos cliffhangers.
The Quest For the Wizard's Key
352 pages
The Wizard's Key is the second book in a series of New Cthulhu Mythos tales. This fix-up novel features a fascinating cast of outcasts on a quest to save the Cosmos from destruction by malevolent forces. Join them on their madcap journey.
This fix-up novel follows the events that transpired in Ketil and Yitzy’s Adventure in the Xura Dream House. The book can be read as a standalone, but for a better understanding of the characters and events, it is suggested that Ketil and Yitzy’s Adventure in the Xura Dream House should be read first. It is a fun, fast-paced buddy story with plenty of creepy, crazy twists and turns.
Once you have read Ketil and Yitzy’s Adventure, you will be In the Know so you can be In with the In Crowd! Then you can join us at the Kewl Eldritch Horrors table.
The Quest for Captain Sammy's Treasure
This Lovecraftian fantasy adventure is one of the tales featured in the Pirate Gold anthology from Dragon Soul Press.
Five centuries ago, Captain Sammy buried his treasure in an unlikely location before letting the sun burn his body to ash to avoid becoming a vampire. Now the spectral pirate is back in the Jungle of Kled to reclaim his treasure, accompanied by two unusual friends.
Rilpu is a young sorceress born as a serpent but transformed into a humanoid female by a spell. The wizard Zkauba hails from the doomed world of Yaddith. They are soon joined by an impressive companion: Yadira, the daughter of Nyarlathotep. However, it is possible that even Nyarlathotep's daughter may not be able to defeat the abomination standing in the blighted clearing upon the pedestal where Captain Sammy's treasure is hidden.
Do the ghostly pirate captain and his friends have a chance of reclaiming the treasure and continuing their mission to save the Cosmos from destruction or are they destined to fail?
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