Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Dialoque - After the Fall
Traveling closer and closer to the edge, it was hard to concentrate. The scenery flew past and at the same time, nothing seemed to change. It was a strange limbo where I was suspended in air while the world around me grew and changed. It was all a blur as I remained dead set on that one, clear goal. If I could reach that shining star, this limbo would end. So, I kept running.
Have you ever escaped limbo? The chains binding you to a particular moment or place? It's like diving head first into a deep chasm. The air as it blows back your hair and carresses your skin is simply amazing; yet as you fall, you see nothing but deep deep darkness. Black surrounds you as you continue to fall. How long? Who knows. The fall could end five minutes from now, or in 3 weeks, or 50 years.
But when it finally ends, what will greet you at the bottom? Freedom, a warm embrace -- or would your face make a violent and fatal crushing contact to a hard, rocky floor?
As I drew nearer to that edge and prepared to make my dive, my heart filled with fear. After all, I had waited all my life for this.
But what comes after the fall?
Friday, December 19, 2008
Rape of a Withering Flower: 2 of 3
Bright eyes
Memories of paradise
How have you fallen so far?
The dirt on your shoes
Matches my own
Tread the same path
Day after day
But you don't see
Hidden in your space
Alive but so spineless
Reaching for you
Crying face of a dying willow
Your fingers grace those cheeks
Yet you can't see
Memories I've hidden away
Rape of a withering flower
Remains of a withering sun
Remnants of the final hour
Run for the damage is done
Madness in the midst of nothing
Fingers grope for those fabled arteries
The noose is tied
The pillow fluffed
A river of blood in the moonlight
[Part 2]
Bright eyes
Always ahead of yourself
How have you fallen so hard?
The flood sweeps past your knees
It takes you away
Wading in that hollowed path
The days won't end
You refuse to see
Hidden in that phantom embrace
Happy but so alone
Reaching for you
Crying eyes in the still of the night
Fingers grace your cheeks
Yet you can't fight
Memories I've come to face
Rape of a withering flower
Remains of a withering sun
Remnants of the final hour
Run for the damage is done
Desperation in the guise of love
Fingers reach for the arms of a ghost
A hole so deep
Your soul is tired
Buried alive under mounds of dirt
There
Penetrate
Push aside green curtains
Purple walls
A faint mist
A dreamy fog
Exaggerated by ivory sheets
Pillows like clouds
A deep breath
Smells just like home
And there you are
Palms run across
Cold walls
The bumps of the wallpaper
Tingling of fingertips
The ceiling
Great expanse of shapes
Blankets embrace
Warm and tight
Head sinks into those clouds
Forever falling
Forever home
And there you are
Hidden away
Deep treasure in the clouds
The smoothness of your skin
Wrinkling of your brow
You dream
Burrow in your embrace
Breath the scent
Purely yours
A great sigh
Two hearts meld
The melody of home
And there we are
Monday, December 8, 2008
Mythology - Alastor and Hope
Pandora was innocent, yet she had one attribute which the men of the world did not possess – intense curiousity. She opened the box, delivered by Hermes, and thus administered upon the unsuspecting world a plague of despair, disease, crime, and all the bad things which haunt the world of today. She dropped the lid in shock, pain, and misery. For the first time, Epimetheus berated and reprimanded his partner. They argued intensely until a voice from the box caught their attentions. Begging to be freed, the miserable but ever curious Pandora lifted the lid – and from the terrible box rose a grand creature. This creature flew swiftly with the grace of an angel, glowing divinely like the purest dove. Taking the form of a butterfly, Hope escaped the clutches of the box and daintily graced Pandora and Epimetheus' weary cheeks. This butterfly filled them with relief and cheer, and as soon as she had come, Hope fluttered out of their home and into the world – prepared to slowly heal the world of its ills.
Shortly after the opening of the box, the world began its slow crumble into despair. The Ages of Man passed swiftly – from the Golden to the Silver, past the Bronze – and finally resting at the dark and rough Iron Age. From one of prosperity, the world collapsed into one in which war, crime, and evil thrived. Despite this rapid decline, however, Hope continued her journey. She touched the lives of those she came across, softly grazing their tired eyelids and propelling the currents of confidence and renewed wellness throughout their bodies. Her journey took her through the vast reaches of Gaia and she saw, although cloaked in a gray veil of misery, all of the wonders of the world. It was not long before Hope reached the dark kingdom of Panos. Despite her long quest, she had never come across a city such as Panos. Its royal body was corrupt to the core, and under the rule of the unforgiving King Mikas, the people suffered immensely. Each of its citizens lived on a dwindling thread – which lurked dangerously near the razor sharp scissors of the Fates – and knew nothing of hope or happiness. They were a miserable people, ruled under a doubly miserable and vicious king.
As she fluttered above their weary heads, Hope was aghast with the amount of suffering she beheld; never before had she ever witnessed such a depressing spectacle. She was also quite tired; flight across the world was not an easy task and she did not know how she would be able to inspire hope into such neglected beings. Suddenly, however, she was taken aback in surprise. Among these sad people stood tall one man – the fiery haired and green eyed boulder of a human being which was Alastor, tending to his withering crops. Despite the despair around him, a part of this man remained strong; she knew immediately it was him that she should inspire. Weakly, she landed upon the tip of his nose. At first bewildered, Alastor jumped in surprise; however, he observed the small butterfly and soon found himself with a swelling, growing sense of hope flourishing in his chest.
“Little creature,” he whispered in shock. “What are you? And what is this emotion you stir deep within me that inspires such strength?”
“I am Hope,” the creature responded with great clarity, glowing faintly as she perched atop his nose. “And it is hope that your drained, mortal body feels at this very moment. You are strong – youthful and determined. However, as I sit perched upon your countenance, I see that there is more to this youthful face than I first realized. You are the one, Alastor, which shall save your people from the ravages of your tyrannical king. With hope blowing into the sails at your back, I shall thrust you forward and towards victory.”
With those words, Alastor felt the power with which this little creature spoke and was assured immediately of his fate. Thrusting down the plow with which he nurtured his dying field, he withdrew immediately into the center of the vast city of Panos. With the swiftness of his renewed inner strength, he promptly rose among his exhausted people and arose within them a new sense of confidence. This resistance grew in number; however, not all were so swayed by the words which flowed from the young man's silver tongue. In fact, many remained corrupted by greed and evil and it was not long that word of the resistance found its way to the all-knowing ears of their malignant king, Mikas. Upon hearing of the people's quest to overthrow him, he seethed with anger and fury.
“A resistance, you say? So they plan to break every law upon which I placed on the land, and usurp their one sole true leader?” Mikas uttered angrily, and with a growl, he thrust his fist into the arm of his throne so harshly that the resulting boom echoed through his royal hall. “I will not turn my cheek to such impudence! Who dares defy their King Mikas?”
“The lowly plowman, Alastor, is the culprit, your greatness,” one of his attendants mumbled nervously. “However, we believe he may not be acting on his own; some of our contacts have witnessed a strange being accompanying him – a single glowing butterfly.”
“A tool of the gods, I imagine,” the king grumbled. “Nevertheless, I will take impudence from no being, mortal and immortal alike! I want them captured, immediately, and locked within the confines of my dungeon. We shall see how far their brazen actions shall get them when they are the prisoners to my undying wrath. Then this land shall see that true power lies with Mikas, their one and only ruler.”
With those words, the foundations to his revenge were laid. In the darkest hours of the night, their captors came as swiftly as the silent and gentle winds of Zephyrus. Even Alastor, the most hopeful of men, required his slumber and this is when Mikas' servants struck. In his one moment of weakness, they captured the poor man and swept him away; the unknowing entity of Hope, too, was victim to their crime as they swept her up in a sack and tied it shut tightly. They dragged their victims away, taking them to the darkest recesses of the king's dungeons. It was there that they were shut in tightly, with no hope of escape. Alastor, in anger, thrust his fist into the hard stone walls which now imprisoned him.
“Damnation! Surely, there is no chance for this god-forsaken kingdom. What power do we have, locked in this most hellish of prisons?” He cried in despair as even the strength which had powered him now began to dwindle under the reality of King Mikas' malice.
“Please,” the exhausted Hope wept from her cell, where she remained trapped within the sack. “You have not come this far to merely give in to the powers of evil. There must be more that can be done – to save this desperate city.”
“But..” He stammered.
Suddenly, something occurred to Alastor's weary mind – perhaps the gods, the ones who began this drought of joy, would find it in their immortal hearts to help their desperate creations. He pleaded to Mt. Olympus, home of the gods, for assistance. His plea was most passionate. First heard by Zeus, the mighty leader of the gods turned his immortal cheek; he refused to be swayed. After all, this was his punishment upon the mortals for the thievery of Prometheus. However, messenger Hermes also heard the pleas of Alastor. From the moment Pandora had opened the box, which he delivered upon them himself, Hermes had felt a soft, nagging regret at his actions as he watched the world suffer. Therefore, he knew helping Alastor would help him find relief from this regret.
On the swift flight of his winged sandals, Hermes appeared before Alastor, posthaste. Awed by his godly resonance, which only a mortal as strong as he could bear, the man fell immediately to his knees. Hermes did not mince words – after all, he was going against the wishes of Zeus himself. He looked upon the human with utmost seriousness and before him, presented an Easter Lily.
“The butterfly, Hope, is but one of the tools which may fill mankind with renewed strength. This lily, as well, holds within it the pure power of hope itself. Upon it, I have bestowed the powers of flight and invincibility. Though temporary as they are, these gifts shall aid you. It is your fate, Alastor; do not fail now,” Hermes spoke with a swift tongue.
Alastor graciously accepted this lily, and immediately, the deity, Hermes, vanished. Mere moments afterward, the cell door swung open. He took this cue and on the swift feet allowed to him by the Easter Lily, he took flight towards the king's throne room. Despite the resistance put up by those who guarded King Mikas, his gift of invincibility protected him well. Their swords and daggers bounced from his flesh like metal upon hard, indestructible steel; he snatched one of those very swords from an unsuspecting hand and sailed gracefully into the king's chamber. With a start, the king rose from bed, the look of shock and anger drawn upon his face. Mercilessly, the young man zoomed before him, and without hesitation, took his mortal body down with one fell swoop of his sword.
The tyrant was dead. With his strength, Alastor destroyed all of the corrupt men who remained faithful to their felled king. By morning, the castle was free of these evil forces. His work was done and immediately, he withdrew into the depths of the dungeon. Just as the powerful gift of the lily ran dry, he arrived in front of the cell of Hope. Breaking the door open, he snatched up the sack in order to release the butterfly. Yet, nothing flowed from the limp, brown bag. He gently laid the parcel down, and looked within. The fragile remains of the butterfly remained, and for a short moment, its body glittered.
“Thank you, Alastor – you have done for me the work my weary and tired body would not allow me to. With your actions, over the course of one mere night, you will inspire not only the people of this land – but of every land after it – to hold hope dear in their hearts, against the malignant forces of evil and disease which plague them so. I am no longer a needed entity – for from this day forth, I will be planted deep within each newborn human soul.”
With these quick words, the butterfly disappeared in a glittering mist of light. Yet, Hope's departure did not inspire fear or sadness in his mortal heart. He knew her words were true, and with determined steps, he ventured out from the dungeon. His appearance before the people inspired cries of joy and he ventured forth and into the purified city of Panos: the realm which he himself had freed.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Creative Writing - Autobiography
Deluge
Day after day, which soon turned to weeks, Tenko continued her lonely journey from the village to the midst of the forest. She ignored her own needs; she ignored the tatters that were her clothes and the hideous knotted and matted hair on her head. On bare feet, she traversed the rough, rocky dirt of the forest floor, as she dodged branches and vines and swatted the flies from her face. Her mind was hollow as she thought of only one thing: the beautiful voice which had visited her so long ago. Even as the rains began, Tenko could not forget its smooth and velvety tone. She could never forget the way it soothed her every muscle and bone. She would never forget the way it made her feel – the way she forgot every bad thing she had endured throughout her past. What did the villagers call this emotion? That foreign word – was it love? The girl could not tell; yet she knew, in this ideal world she had fabricated within the forest, there was only the voice and her. Now that it was gone, the poor girl was terribly and completely alone.
The village watched on with solemn eyes the child who continued day after day to destroy herself. She was relentless in her journey to find that mysterious voice once more, and most knew better than to stand in the way; even the most bitter of cold winds which bit and nipped at her pale cheeks and toes could not stall her daily torment. As the rains grew worse, like pins and needles falling from the sky onto her frozen figure, the girl found herself growing weaker and weaker. She would make her voyage, only to collapse to the forest floor. As she felt the cold mud and rocks between her fingers, her eyes would swell; bitter concoctions of rain and tears swept down her cheeks and lips, the taste so sharp and salty as to make her gag.
Obsession fueled her arms and legs; yet her heart was feeble, so filled with fear and desperation as it was. Soon, despite how determined she may have felt to continue, she could not. The deluge of rain which poured heavier and harder upon the unsuspecting village began to flood the forests, and slowly creeped upon their little huts. Soon, the villagers could not step too far out of their own homes, as their flooded surroundings threatened to sweep them away. In Tenko's state, she would most certainly have no chance against such forces of nature. Therefore, she remained in her hut, unmoving as she lied in her straw cot. Her eyes bore into the ceiling. Her mind now raced with so many thoughts of regret and worry and each beat of her heart propelled these emotions through her blood and even deeper into the core of her being. Delirium consumed her fragile frame; for the most part, she gave not even the slightest twitch of a finger to indicate she was alive.
Frozen in time, her eyes searched the ceiling for some kind of answer. A pointed hut of yellowish-brown thatched straw and mud and other strange combinations – how long ago had it been that she was guided to this little village? As quaint and beautiful as it was back then, it seemed so ugly and empty now. Her chapped lips parted, searching for her words. When was the last time she had spoken to another human? Everything felt so foreign and cold. A part of her heart ached; it was such a strange sensation that she had never felt before. Tenko swallowed down hard, painfully. Finally, the weary girl's eyes shut slowly, dark and pitch black consuming. She watched the colourful spheres and lines dance underneath her tired eyelids and she breathed deeply, one final ounce of energy flowing to her lips before she found sleep.
“You're never coming back. . .”

