…there strikes the ebony clock which stands in the hall of the velvet. And then, for a moment, all is still… - eap, 1842
Friday, April 8, 2011
THE EBONY CLOCK
…there strikes the ebony clock which stands in the hall of the velvet. And then, for a moment, all is still… - eap, 1842
KIZUNA: Fiction for Japan
KIZUNA: Fiction for Japan. An excellent idea to help the people of Japan. My story "The Starlet and the Fishman" was submitted for this, and hope it makes the cut.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
THE CASTLE KEEPS ITS OWN
This lady can write poetry! I cannot.
** **
THE CASTLE KEEPS ITS OWN
I. Through Portals and Halls
Down the worn torn years these stones have seen so much,
Now dust and gloom settles into the cracks
Carrying with it a dearth of tales to tell…
From life to dust and back again the cycle continues onward,
Ghosts have come then gone through portals
Ladies and their men danced through halls…
Lovers met secretly for trysts and been banished for their love,
Loves lost and never regained
For out of love comes pain of loss again…
Birthed a love child born out of no reasoning but love alone,
Death comes in turn to mother and to child
For we are born, we live, and we surely die.
II. Love Worth Dying For
Amidst are moments of pure joy we cling to desperately,
Till snatched out of our hands flung away
As we start to enjoy and admire them,
Cast aside as we scramble in the dust for small morsels,
Searching for happiness and crave love,
Want to know ourselves and to know love.
Is it but fleeting or will it be ours for a moment to feel that love
Within one's soul that is at least worth the dying for?
To have died without love is to live a life of death,
A sad lamentation, dreary death at all times searching seeking,
Never finding but always a fervent hope
Within hearts that it will be reciprocated.
III. Sad lamentations
We have tenderly offered, tendered it to our hearts sweet desire,
These walls have seen beauty trapped within,
Pinning away, wasting away each day, so pale,
And sadly wanting more than the daily bequests bequeathed to them.
Sad lamentations pour out from her heart,
Battered breaking Heart slowly cracking,
Taking a grief stricken sane mind into the depths of blackness and hell,
Slowly going insane alone as craziness looms
In a world of happiness, but tis none for her.
She pines, wasting away to skeletal shades of ashen translucent white,
Bones protrude starkly from skin no longer
Blooming with the innocent bud of youth.
IV. A Gaunt Specter Remains
Stretching taunt the skin thins over cheekbones, eyes deeply sunken
Into receptive sockets bruised and blackened
Against a crinkled aging yellowing sallow skin.
No more to walk, talk and giggle girlishly with her pure loves delight.
Gone are the living days of life’s breath.
Her spirit is gone, vanquished no more.
Only a gaunt specter remains to roam alone forever through corridors
Of that ancient castle upon the hill.
A ghostly apparition drifting along,
Once cursed with such pain now is an eternity of unfeeling nothingness
To contend with for she had implored
”to take this pain from me ever more.”
V. Forever through Eternity
Her wish was brought into being as death eased that crushing burden.
Angels glided past and offered her their hands;
All are ignored as she slowly shakes her head,
So peaceful to no longer feel that painful anguish that had her in thrall.
She is content to no longer seek and search
For her comfort is cocooned in this limbo,
Forever through eternity as she haunts the hallways she once roamed
As a youthful child and of a beauteous woman
Drawn to lovers arms with dreams yet unfulfilled.
For now those dreams are naught but torn tattered imaginings picked up
By the passing zephyrs to be teasingly toyed with
Then carelessly tossed aside, left to such sad fates.
© 2011 CBJ
** **
THE CASTLE KEEPS ITS OWN
I. Through Portals and Halls
Down the worn torn years these stones have seen so much,
Now dust and gloom settles into the cracks
Carrying with it a dearth of tales to tell…
From life to dust and back again the cycle continues onward,
Ghosts have come then gone through portals
Ladies and their men danced through halls…
Lovers met secretly for trysts and been banished for their love,
Loves lost and never regained
For out of love comes pain of loss again…
Birthed a love child born out of no reasoning but love alone,
Death comes in turn to mother and to child
For we are born, we live, and we surely die.
II. Love Worth Dying For
Amidst are moments of pure joy we cling to desperately,
Till snatched out of our hands flung away
As we start to enjoy and admire them,
Cast aside as we scramble in the dust for small morsels,
Searching for happiness and crave love,
Want to know ourselves and to know love.
Is it but fleeting or will it be ours for a moment to feel that love
Within one's soul that is at least worth the dying for?
To have died without love is to live a life of death,
A sad lamentation, dreary death at all times searching seeking,
Never finding but always a fervent hope
Within hearts that it will be reciprocated.
III. Sad lamentations
We have tenderly offered, tendered it to our hearts sweet desire,
These walls have seen beauty trapped within,
Pinning away, wasting away each day, so pale,
And sadly wanting more than the daily bequests bequeathed to them.
Sad lamentations pour out from her heart,
Battered breaking Heart slowly cracking,
Taking a grief stricken sane mind into the depths of blackness and hell,
Slowly going insane alone as craziness looms
In a world of happiness, but tis none for her.
She pines, wasting away to skeletal shades of ashen translucent white,
Bones protrude starkly from skin no longer
Blooming with the innocent bud of youth.
IV. A Gaunt Specter Remains
Stretching taunt the skin thins over cheekbones, eyes deeply sunken
Into receptive sockets bruised and blackened
Against a crinkled aging yellowing sallow skin.
No more to walk, talk and giggle girlishly with her pure loves delight.
Gone are the living days of life’s breath.
Her spirit is gone, vanquished no more.
Only a gaunt specter remains to roam alone forever through corridors
Of that ancient castle upon the hill.
A ghostly apparition drifting along,
Once cursed with such pain now is an eternity of unfeeling nothingness
To contend with for she had implored
”to take this pain from me ever more.”
V. Forever through Eternity
Her wish was brought into being as death eased that crushing burden.
Angels glided past and offered her their hands;
All are ignored as she slowly shakes her head,
So peaceful to no longer feel that painful anguish that had her in thrall.
She is content to no longer seek and search
For her comfort is cocooned in this limbo,
Forever through eternity as she haunts the hallways she once roamed
As a youthful child and of a beauteous woman
Drawn to lovers arms with dreams yet unfulfilled.
For now those dreams are naught but torn tattered imaginings picked up
By the passing zephyrs to be teasingly toyed with
Then carelessly tossed aside, left to such sad fates.
© 2011 CBJ
DARKTOWNE
Yeah, one of my favorites. A collection of industrial horror stories that were a delight to write. I had an exceptionally grand time with this. A dark apocalyptic city in decay, the stories are also laced with an occasional classic theme or ideas that some people may recognize.
The TOC is…
Night Demons
Baden Street Blues
Blood Whores
Kaba
The River Rats
The Toad-Witch
The Witchfinder
Noah's Ark
Like a Thief in the Night
This collection is due out later this year, to be published by H Harksen Productions.
The TOC is…
Night Demons
Baden Street Blues
Blood Whores
Kaba
The River Rats
The Toad-Witch
The Witchfinder
Noah's Ark
Like a Thief in the Night
This collection is due out later this year, to be published by H Harksen Productions.
GRETCHEN'S WOOD
GRETCHEN’S WOOD is one of two of my Lovecraftian horror collections. The other, entitled OF GODS & ALIENS, remains unpublished.
The TOC is…
The Black Horror of Dungannon
Tommy’s Goat
The Horror of Organ Grinder Road
The House in the Woods
The Horror from the Sky
Dreaming in Darkness
The Calling of the Hounds
Summoning Tsathoggua
Gretchen’s Wood
The Highlandtown Lake Horror
Alder’s Rest
The two collections are delineated by place. All the GRETCHEN’S WOOD stories take place in Columbiana County, Ohio…where I was born and raised.
All the OF GODS & ALIENS stories take place outside of Columbiana County. Though the collection is unpublished, some of the stories have appeared in chapbook form, published by Rainfall Books. Others remain unpublished.
The TOC is…
The Black Horror of Dungannon
Tommy’s Goat
The Horror of Organ Grinder Road
The House in the Woods
The Horror from the Sky
Dreaming in Darkness
The Calling of the Hounds
Summoning Tsathoggua
Gretchen’s Wood
The Highlandtown Lake Horror
Alder’s Rest
The two collections are delineated by place. All the GRETCHEN’S WOOD stories take place in Columbiana County, Ohio…where I was born and raised.
All the OF GODS & ALIENS stories take place outside of Columbiana County. Though the collection is unpublished, some of the stories have appeared in chapbook form, published by Rainfall Books. Others remain unpublished.
Monday, April 4, 2011
UPDATES...
Alright, three updates –
First, my story “Children of the Light” will be appearing in the April (#12) issue of HUNGUR MAGAZINE. This is a magazine devoted to vampires. The vamp story was originally written for my DARKTOWNE collection (coming this year from H Harksen Productions). However, the story didn’t fit the mood and atmosphere of the collection, so I kept it out. Instead, it went to HUNGUR and was accepted.
Secondly, a reprint of my story “Azathoth Awakening” (one of two of my stories recommended for Bram Stoker awards in the 2000 voting season) will be appearing in Aaron French’s anthology SHADOW OF THE UNKNOWN. The story (to the best of my recollection) hasn’t seen print since 2002. So, it’s about time.
Thirdly, I have a few others appearing elsewhere, but they’re special projects and I can’t elaborate on them at the moment. Sometime soon…
First, my story “Children of the Light” will be appearing in the April (#12) issue of HUNGUR MAGAZINE. This is a magazine devoted to vampires. The vamp story was originally written for my DARKTOWNE collection (coming this year from H Harksen Productions). However, the story didn’t fit the mood and atmosphere of the collection, so I kept it out. Instead, it went to HUNGUR and was accepted.
Secondly, a reprint of my story “Azathoth Awakening” (one of two of my stories recommended for Bram Stoker awards in the 2000 voting season) will be appearing in Aaron French’s anthology SHADOW OF THE UNKNOWN. The story (to the best of my recollection) hasn’t seen print since 2002. So, it’s about time.
Thirdly, I have a few others appearing elsewhere, but they’re special projects and I can’t elaborate on them at the moment. Sometime soon…
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
TIME PASSES...
Alright, it has been nearly a year since I started this blog, and I’ve accomplished nothing since? Well, I wouldn’t say that. I’ve been writing. Horror. Fantasy satire. Spent nearly then entire past year writing a collection which is finished. Just waiting on responses for a couple of individual stories that may go to anthologies. If not, then they’ll be included in the collection.
In the meantime, I’ll have to do some back tracking, checking, and update other little items.
Until then…
In the meantime, I’ll have to do some back tracking, checking, and update other little items.
Until then…
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)