OctPoWriMo 2015: Day 27: My Happy Ending

My Happy Ending

Once upon a time

There was a fanciful fellow

With the fey he liked to play

Truth is, he himself was fey

He was quite a waggish sort

Playful and mischievous

But ultimately harmless

Ever so curious about the world too

He kept the truth about himself

Hidden from nearly everyone

Until he took his quizzical mind to college

Where it wasn't just books that gave him knowledge

Being a quaint sort of chap

He was sort of easy to take advantage of

Especially when he fell in love

For many years he allowed himself to be abused

He may well have continued to abide

The occasional slap or shove

But he could no longer tolerate the cheating

Or the words that cut him to the quick

He thought that twenty-one years

Was probably all that anyone was given to find love

And he'd thrown it down the drain

But he didn't want another of the same

Five years went by, and our fey fellow

Was quite used to being single

But then his sister invited him to a Halloween party

She said, just come and mingle

Being a fairly sociable sort, he accepted the invite

At least he knew there'd be beer and snacks

Then his sister introduced him to a fellow

With a smile so sweet our fey friend forgot his own name

Once our man regained his composure

He and his sister's chum began to chat

Several hours later, they'd not run out of things to say

So they made a date for the following Saturday

Everything was so perfect

Our poor fey guy was terrified

He remembered his former lover's lies

He was afraid to fall in love again

But this new man was patient and kind

He gave the worried fellow plenty of time

Plus kind encouragement and little tokens of affection

Things could only continue in a certain direction

Seven weeks after their first meeting, the wonderful gent

Asked our fey fellow if he wanted to take the next step

Oh, how he did, but he was so afraid

What if he was a disappointment?

He didn't want to lose this good thing he'd found

As the sun broke on the horizon

The fey fellow rolled over 

And looked into the beautiful blue eyes and smiling face

Of a sweet angel, who kissed him and professed his love

They moved in together five months later

Six years later they officially married

This year they celebrate their seventh anniversary

That sweet fellow's name is Dylan

He is the one that our fey chap--whose name is Adam--loves for all eternity

~Adam~

Notes:

Sorry, I can't see my monitor. My eyes are leaking.

Maybe it's not the best poem ever. But it's straight from the heart. I found the love that I thought only happened to other people. I love him more each day we're together.

I'm resisting the temptation to do any heavy editing on this. I want it to be real and raw, not polished or perfectified. Is that even a word?

OctPoWriMo 2015: Day 23: Intergalactic Passion

Fair warning, Illsa's going fangirl.

Sorry, not sorry.

Feel free to skip this one if this sort of thing is beneath you.

Intergalactic Passion

Standing by the seascape

The spark lit between us

And so we danced in harmony

As if no one else existed

In the entire Universe

Take me on a journey

Across the entire galactic expanse

Please don't ever leave me

For my yearning would destroy me

Just a chip of you will never do

Illsa, channeling Rose Tyler

OctPoWriMo 2015: Day 16: Ondina's Paradelle

Image by Beverly Tan

Ondina's Paradelle

O Stormy Sea, wash over me

O Stormy Sea, wash over me

Take this shipwreck of a life

Take this shipwreck of a life

To a parallel dimension

Where I may meet my love

I crave his delicious kisses

I crave his delicious kisses

Although I know him not

Although I know him not

I long for him with all my soul

Only his love can save me

Sounding with a crunch, I hear footsteps approaching

Sounding with a crunch, I hear footsteps approaching

I hide away my dream from wicked souls

I hide away my dream from wicked souls

I have not abandoned you, Beloved, remember your Ondina loves you

In her shadow you may rest, until she can return

Long not, Beloved, know your Ondina may return with delicious kisses

Take my life, crunch all wicked souls, have rest with him

Hear her footsteps sounding, approaching to a parallel dimension for you

Where I may meet my loves in shadow, hide away from my abandoned soul

O stormy sea wash over me, until she remember although

Crave, only his love can save this shipwreck of a dream 

~Ondina Rvaga Zecor~

Notes: 

The Princess Ondina is a character in Team Netherworld's serial/novel in progress, Fetch. The story is a paranormal romance with sci-fi elements which honors the late H.P. Lovecraft, as well as other writers of the Cthulhu Mythos genre.

I'm not sure about that last stanza, but my brain just short-circuited. I can do no more!

~Wanda~

The Design is simple:

Stanza 1: 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 4  

Stanza 2: 5, 5, 6, 6, 7, 8

Stanza 3: 9, 9, 10, 10, 11, 12

Stanza 4: 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 

For the most difficult piece of this poetic puzzle, the final stanza of the paradelle does not repeat like the preceding stanzas, rather the final six lines must contain every word from the first three stanzas, and only those words, again using them only once to form completely new lines.

OctPoWriMo 2015: Day 5: Love Comes Wearing Disguises

Image by Beverly Tan

Love Comes Wearing Disguises

We had been friends for years

You supported me during my divorce

With subtle Nordic style humor and a loyal heart

You needed a date for a New Year's event

I said I'd be happy to accompany my pal

We became aware that night

That there were possibilities between us

I was scared that I might lose my friend

I didn't want to start something that might end badly

My track record in love was abysmal

It was easy to see how I could fall for you

But how could you fall for me

I am plump and plain, and you had dated a model before me

You said you'd rather be with a friend

Someone who offered kindness and support

You didn't want to stay with someone

Who was always trying to turn

You into another person

Someone handsome enough

Sophisticated enough

To be with someone as pretty as she

People who had known the two of you

Wondered how you could trade in the luxury model

For the dumpy economy brand

You told them I made you happy 

I made you feel young again

You became a second father to my children

A great friend to my brother

With your warmth and charm, even my dad couldn't help liking you

You never had to try that hard

Just by being who you are

You made everything better

We've now been together for sixteen wonderful years

Married for eleven of those

The love I thought I'd never find is real

Sometimes the ugly duckling girl

Is beautiful in the eyes 

Of Prince Charming

For my beloved husband Nils

from Aurora (Sandy)

Notes:

I kept choking up while writing this, but in a good way.

Not Your Stereotype

I don't have penis envy

I'm not into girls because I can't find a guy

I don't need or want a man to fuck me straight

I am not an abomination

It won't turn your daughter gay to be my friend

I don't kiss women to turn guys on

I'm not hot for every woman I see

I'm not leering at you in the locker room

I don't have sex with every woman who asks

I don't hate men

I have male friends, cousins, a father whom I love

I don't like men who objectify me because I like women

I'm a person, just like you

I'm a sister, a daughter, an aunt

I'm me, Thalia

I like music, and I like to write

I like to bake, and I like to hang out with my niece and nephew

I like watching movies and being a friend

I'd like to find a lady who's kind of easygoing

A friend who turns into a lover

Someone I can talk with late into the night

I'm looking for the same thing as many of you

I'm looking for someone to share my life with

Someone I can take care of, and who will take care of me

I'm kind of a romantic, waiting for my princess to sweep me off my feet

Will she be a cowgirl or a businesswoman or more the artistic type

I just hope she doesn't wait too long to find me

I hope that those of you who took the time to read this can see

I'm not a stereotype

There to be objectified or demonized

I'm a lesbian

But I'm a person first

My name is Thalia

Don't stereotype me

~Thalia~

Fictional Creations

Visit the Artist

This erasure challenge provided by Hannah from Imaginary Garden With Real Toads was...hard! But it made me happy to do it because I talked Team Netherworld's own Rose LeMort to allow me to take a page from her in-progress novel, Fetch, and play Erasure with it. The story is a paranormal romance. 

I hope Rose enjoys what I've done with her page.

Click to enlarge

I got the idea for the graphic from our own Seth. One simply turns the font on the words they don't want to white, then pastes the results into Paint and saves it as a jpeg.

I'm going to provide the poem in a slightly more cohesive form below, then, for a real treat, I will share Rose's original page. She has given m her permission to do so. Personally, I can't wait to see more of this story. Rose has invited the team to brainstorm with her, and you can see the results at the special blog dedicated to this end.

Here it is in a more directly readable format

invited

fictional creations. 

They must be based on something factual. 

I need to find out what that something is

wires crossed

like drivin’ through a thick fog on an unfamiliar road

it wasn’t a stupid move, it was a desperate one

Makes me feel like I’m alive again

I’m tryin’ to make the best of it

I could use a quick little thrill

a little kiss for you

This was hard--really hard! I like the end result, although it's a bit of an odd piece.

Now, here is the real thrill for me, to present you with the original page from Rose's manuscript. Write, Rose, write! We need to see more of these characters--now!

Pepper sat down on the couch and invited Gerry to sit beside her. He nestled against her like a frightened child.

“Put me in your pocket then, Love,” he begged. “Let me stay safe here with you.”

“Gerry, I’d like nothing more. But at this stage, your body is going to keep pulling you back. I need to try to find out just what this entity is. I found the one commonality, but I need something more to act on. Both the Lights of Zetar and the demonic sphere from the Vampirella comic are fictional creations. They must be based on something factual. I need to find out what that something is. Until then, I very much do want you to stay with me as much as you can, my fetching fetch.”

“How’s that then?” Gerry asked, a smile brightening his face as if he were basking in Pepper’s affection for him.

“A fetch is the spirit of a person whose body is either close to death or very compromised, like yours.”

“Huh. Me body could go on kickin’ for quite a while. It’s only got minor sixty-some year old bloke crap wrong with it. It’s me brain that’s a fried mess with all the bleedin’ wires crossed.”

“Same difference. Your spirit can’t operate properly through your body.”

“Hate it when the fuckin’ thing draws me back in, like it did this morning. I was fightin’ me hardest to make that warped gray matter of mine function for me. It was like drivin’ through a thick fog on an unfamiliar road. I so desperately wanted to tell the staff what I’d seen. Feckin’ stupid, really. Should have known they wouldn’t listen to some poor addled blighter.”

“Gerry, it wasn’t a stupid move, it was a desperate one. I wish I knew better what was going on. We’re going to need to work on this together, okay?”

“My pleasure. I love bein’ here with you, Pepper. Makes me feel like I’m alive again. I hate this fucked transitional state, I really do. But I’m tryin’ to make the best of it. I tell meself I’m gonna see me angel, and I’ll be damned if that don’t just make everything all worthwhile. ‘Ey, would you do me a favor?”

“What’s that?”

“I could use a quick little thrill. How about a smooch?”

“I think I could muster one pretty easily.”

“Quickly maybe?”

“Impatient much? All right, my fetching fetch, a little kiss for you.”

A rosy blush spread over Pepper’s cheeks. She could feel the warmth of Gerry’s kiss, could even feel a bit of moisture. The kiss became more passionate. Pepper found herself trembling in Gerry’s arms. When he broke the kiss, he looked directly into her eyes. 

~Morella La Muerte~

With big thanks to 

Rose LeMort

Cross-Posted to:

Fetch

Poetry of the Netherworld

OctPoWriMo 2014: Day 2

Copyright: kesu87 / 123RF Stock Photo

Two

He said "I want to marry you and live as two"

I said I wanted to do that too

Others sneered at what we proposed to do

They said we would never last as two

They said you think it's fun when it's brand new

But love will fade when you become more than two

We were still pretty young when we two became three

We were often too tired, but we were still happy

Four years later, we added one more

Going from a family of two to a family of four

Others said we couldn't last too much longer

To their surprise, our love just got stronger

Three years later, we brought home number five

They said for sure we two would no longer survive

We two have been strong now for thirty-two years

Countering the infinite, bleak predictions of our peers

~Sadie~

Note:

When my husband and I got married, we were pretty well fresh out of high school. He was eighteen, and I had recently turned nineteen. We had a lot of relatives (mostly mine) as well as some so called "friends" saying repeatedly that young romances didn't last. They gave us five years at the most. They made a lot of interesting predictions that he would cheat on me, because, apparently, no young man can go without inserting his manhood into any available orifice.

These predictions became even more prolific when I gave birth to our first daughter at the age of twenty-one. My husband was a very devoted father. He enjoyed spending time with his child. Some of his friends liked to brag about their party exploits to show him what he was missing out on, but he never thought he was missing out on much. My husband is not that much of a drinker. He likes a couple of beers while watching a football game. On a few occasions I've seen him a bit tipsy, but he doesn't like to get full-on, stumbling drunk--never has.

These predictions of doom continued through the births of our second and third daughters. After the birth of our youngest, there were also predictions that my husband might turn into King Henry the Eighth out of disgust that I hadn't managed to produce a male heir. He set straight those who suggested that he was upset with me for having only daughters by educating them on the fact that it was actually his chromosome that determined the sex of our offspring. 

We can't entirely distance ourselves from the negative relatives, but we don't see them that often. We did distance ourselves from the negative friends, who thought we were boring stick-in-the-muds anyway. I'd rather be a stick-in-the-mud than a doomsayer. It's one thing to express concern about a couple getting married at a very young age, it's quite another to continually predict that their romance will end in despair.

Thirty-One

Copyright: joophoek / 123RF Stock Photo

The year I turned 31

Our oldest girl turned ten

Our middle daughter turned six

And our baby girl turned three

That year marked my twelfth wedding anniversary

And the fifteenth anniversary of being a couple

Some folks think I did things too fast

That I got married and had babies too young

That at thirty-one, I had too much on my plate

Maybe that would be the case

For some who did things the way I did

But for me, it turned out just right

For Seth and me, it wasn't just desire

We were friends before we fell in love

We've been the best of friends through everything

And I think that's why it works

He never felt I tied him down or trapped him

We supported each other through school

We both changed diapers 

We took turns staying up at night through teething

Eventually, we both finished our education

I ended up a nurse

He, a high school counselor

Nothing fancy, but something that felt right

Just like our house

And the cars we drive

Some say he's too tall and skinny and I'm too short and fat

But I think we're just right

I thought so when I was thirty-one

I still think so today

And I think I will on every birthday yet to come

~Sadie~

Written for The Reverie