Ghost Stories #InsecureWritersSupportGroup #OctPoWriMo

  

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay

October 2 question - Ghost stories fit right in during this month. What's your favorite classic ghostly tale? Tell us about it and why it sends chills up your spine.

I shall combine this question with the following prompt and create a Haibun for your reading displeasure. Imma call this one Ghost Stories.

https://experiencewriting.com/2024/09/30/writober-early-birds/

My early memories include my father reading A Christmas Carol. Scrooge's ghosts have stuck with me throughout my life.

I was a precocious child and a bit of a Wednesday Addams. By the time I was six years old, I was reading Edgar Allan Poe and my father’s collection of EC and Warren comics. I loved the horror hosts who, despite their fearsome appearances (and Vampirella’s scanty attire), were actually quite wholesome.

In my first grade classroom, there was a book about a haunted house with an evil spirit in a jar. I’ve never found another copy of this treasure.

being forgotten

never being recognized

forgetting oneself

And now, it's picture time! The prompt is universal fear.

Image by Michal Jarmoluk from Pixabay

What if Death shows up looking like Jeeves rather than a robe-wearing skeleton with a scythe? Would that make him less scary? 

"Good evening, Ma'am. Would you care to follow me to meet your maker for a spot of tea?"

According to this picture, Death is a jellyfish-headed mothafucker with lobster claws for hands because I can't draw people. Or much of anything else, really.

As an added bonus, here's a text I received Monday morning.

Surely, there's no reason to suspect that it's phishing. Doesn't USPS always wish their customers a day filled with positivity and joy?

In other news, I've decided not to continue my attempts at building a subscription option on Ream. I've learned that Michael Evans, a genuinely good guy, was forced off the platform he founded. Instead, I intend to focus my subscription-building efforts on my Substack.  

I wish the person playing the loud music with the repetitive rhythm that's giving me a headache would fall into a sinkhole along with their device of annoyance. I'm not the least bit sorry for wishing this. 

~Ornery Owl Has Spoken~

Image by Rashid Asgher from Pixabay

Ornery Owl is working on making peace with her inner owlet.

https://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/p/iwsg-sign-up.html

My creations are © 2024. This work is openly licensed via CC BY 4.0.

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Enjoy some synthwave.

https://odysee.com/@dnbstartrek:b/cyberpunk-age-exploring-the-retro-future:8?r=GTwnGJ4fFBQfzuJgpHVpfKBKaC9b8B16

https://odysee.com/@alternativemixtapes:9/cyberpunk-triad-dark-electro%2C-dark:3?r=GTwnGJ4fFBQfzuJgpHVpfKBKaC9b8B16

Dark electro, dark synth, dark techno

To follow this month's poetic adventures, visit my poetry blog.

http://poetryofthenetherworld.blogspot.com

Consider subscribing to my Substack. Most posts are free.

https://naughtynetherworldpress.substack.com/

Visit my Start page.

https://naughtynetherworldpress.start.page

Cold Crow and Drab Duck 30 Days of Haiga 2024

 

Image by Alexa from Pixabay

either cold or hot

crow is a dish best not served

choose your words wisely

The prompt put me in a Senryu state of mind.

https://chevrefeuillescarpediem.blogspot.com/2012/12/carpe-diem-71-cold-crow-kangarasu.html

I know this bird is actually a raven. But it makes a nice stand-in for a crow on its nice, snowy background.

Image by Bianca Van Dijk from Pixabay

Mandarin Duck

Image by Yana Vakulina from Pixabay

mandarin she-duck

beautiful in her own way

despite drab feathers

The Prompt:

https://chevrefeuillescarpediem.blogspot.com/2012/12/carpe-diem-72-mandarin-ducks-oshidori.html

Image by eriko okuno from Pixabay

I believe the only place you'll see ducks like these is when taking a trip, and I'm not talking about going for a drive to the local pond in your car.

Do you pity the female Mandarin duck because nobody compliments her drab plumage? I don't. I wish I could be more like her.

When I was younger, I thought I wanted men to be ga-ga over my looks. I was also very conflicted about my body. I hated it when my hips developed but I wished I had bigger breasts. I hated it when gross men whistled or shouted at me from car windows or construction sites, but I wanted the guys my own age to want me. 

I never had the kind of looks that would have made me a sex object. I had a big butt and thighs with a modest chest. My face was "too round" even when my weight was "proportional to my height." I had cosmetic work done on my chin and teeth to make my face more conventionally attractive. 

After having liposuction on my chin, my delightful boss at the airport clothing store told me I should get something done about my "chipmunk cheeks." As she said this, she pinched my cheeks. I was too astounded to say anything. My face was bruised and puffy, I had a compression bandage wrapped around it to help reduce the swelling, and this maniac was pinching my cheeks. This is one of those times where there simply were no words. 

As I got older, I attracted attention because I have the "wrong kind" of body. I have the kind of body where everyone thinks it's their right to tell me how I should change my body. I think it's my right to tell them all to fuck off. 

Unlike my younger self, I don't want to be noticed for my looks in any way, whether it's positive or negative. I look different, so my looks attract attention. I want my creations to get noticed, not me. 

Peter Frampton once said he didn't understand why photographs always focused on his face when it was his hands that made the music. Phil Lynott said that even though he didn't encounter serious racial prejudice (his mother was Irish and his father was from Guyana) he was, nevertheless, aware that he was "other," and it bothered him. 

I resonate with both of these thoughts. What difference does it make if I look like a Playboy centerfold or if I look like a Playhutt centerfold? I'm not a pinup girl, I'm a poet and writer. You don't have to see me to read my words. If you're thinking about me rather than what I've written, either you're a stalker or I need to improve my technique.

As for being "other," I spent decades trying to change my appearance because I thought I looked ugly.

I may never have been beautiful, but I didn't look ugly. I looked like an East European peasant with my round face and stocky body. If that's not your thing, that's fine. I'd never try to force anyone to pretend they think I'm beautiful. 

Here's the thing, though. If you behave like someone not resembling your ideal bed partner is presenting a personal affront to you simply by existing, you, not they, are the problem. Not being attracted to someone is not a reason to treat them like garbage. 

Rather than seeing people's appearances as attractive or ugly, I see them as attractive or neutral. It's a person's behaviors that make them seem ugly, not an asymmetrical face, wonky teeth, the size of their body, or any other external factor.

~Ornery Owl Has Spoken~

My creations are © 2024. This work is openly licensed via CC BY 4.0.

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Final Market of the Year and Hawks 30 Days of Haiga 2024

 

Image by G.C. from Pixabay

browsing unique gifts

final market of the year

in a lengthy life

The Prompt:

https://chevrefeuillescarpediem.blogspot.com/2012/12/carpe-diem-69-year-market-toshi-no-ichi.html

I ran the photo through several filters. I really like the stark contrast between the light and shadows. 

Image by Nicky ❤️🌿🐞🌿❤️ from Pixabay

Here's the image I (ahem) DREW inspiration from for today's etching.

I had no idea scratching out a bunch of gnomes and other weird things would take so long. I don't think I'll be etching a hawk today. Maybe tomorrow. 

Red tail hawk by Jim Black on Pixabay

out on the prairie

hawks perching atop fenceposts

watching for a meal

The Prompt:

https://chevrefeuillescarpediem.blogspot.com/2012/12/carpe-diem-70-hawk-taka.html

My creations are © 2024. This work is openly licensed via CC BY 4.0.

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Winter Camellia Warmth 30 Days of Haiga 2024

 

Image by Mirko Stödter from Pixabay

warmth and happiness

from the winter camellia

in a pot of tea

Digital manipulation by Cara Hartley/Ornery Owl created using Pixlr.

Text art by Ornery Owl

Image by Martina Kouřílková from Pixabay

Here is the photo I referenced when making my drawing.

Etching by Cara Hartley/Ornery Owl

Here's my etching with text added in Pixlr.

My creations are © 2024. This work is openly licensed via CC BY 4.0.

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Here is the prompt I used for inspiration.

https://chevrefeuillescarpediem.blogspot.com/2012/12/carpe-diem-66-winter-camellia-kantsubaki.html

I'm being cheeky with this Haiku. Camellia sinensis is a shrub with white flowers from which we get tea leaves.

Camellia sinensis. (2024, July 15). In Wikipedia.

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camellia_sinensis

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Sanu_N

Enjoy this wonderful, relaxing music while I tell you about this year’s 30 Days of Haiga project.

https://odysee.com/@qooietly:f/m-i-r-a-g-e-deep-relaxation-ambient:1?r=GTwnGJ4fFBQfzuJgpHVpfKBKaC9b8B16

Haiga is Haiku paired with an image. This year, I have rainbow scratch paper and am challenging myself to create my Haiga with a picture I draw. My drawing talent may be similar to that of a six-year-old using their non-dominant hand, but creating my own picture uses different areas of my brain than creating a Haiga using a photograph and a photo manipulation program. I intend to utilize both techniques this year.

As of this writing, I’ve been participating in the 30 Days of Haiga challenge for ten years. However, the challenge was not my brainchild. As far as I know, it was created by Rick Daddario of the 19 Planets Art Blog.

https://19planets.wordpress.com/

The challenge is very special to me, and I will probably continue doing it until I can’t anymore.  

Enjoy this ambient mix.

https://odysee.com/@SoundAvenueTV:d/ambient-avenue-mix-003-sovande-%28music:b?r=GTwnGJ4fFBQfzuJgpHVpfKBKaC9b8B16

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsDMaSiuI4o

This Halloween ambience is pretty much the best music for writing anything ever.