Welcome, dear friends and readers to our last 55 for the month of lonesome October. Soon the veil will be as thin as it gets; perhaps something will whisper to you across it. Or perhaps another voice is calling you to write. As always, we gather here to remember the G-man, stretch our writing muscles and enjoy ourselves. There are no rules, except that your contribution must consist of 55 words of prose or poetry, no more, no less. Comment moderation is on, but I check often, so leave your link in the comments below from Friday through Sunday, and I will be around to see what you have built.
Now, let the shadows dance..
Penumbra
Fallen angels must dance just so, quick feet
on the chest of October night,
three umbrae darkening, together alone;
maiden, mother and golem crone.
Maiden's house is burnt to the ground.
Mother's been drained like a drunkard's flask.
And mad as the moon is the golem's widow,
stark in the hedgerows of the Veil-keeper's riddle.
~October 2017
Header image via internet. Author unknown. Fair use.
Footer image: Jack, ©joyannjones 2017 Pumpkin carved by my son.
a rhyme for the ghouls and a riddle for the rest. angels do fall, don't they?
ReplyDeleteolive
thump
That they do, but at least they have wings...thanks for playing--both of these 55s rank with some of your best ever, and mix the seasonal flavors with all the best components poetry can bring.
Deleteah, thanks. since one can never leave well enough alone, perhaps the 3rd time's the (c)harm.
Deletering
thanks for the indulgence.
no harm in this 3rd charmer! i can never leave well enough alone either, and glad you have the same "problem"
DeleteShine on, shine so darkly brilliant the anti-moon's unearthed! I love the "golem" crone, there's something artificial -- artful -- you know, bride-of-franknsteinyful to her, just like, hey, who dat poem coming through the cornrows with hair on fire! There's cold intimacy and delightful remove to this, the neck bolts of something to make balefires merry. What else are we gonna do? Anyway, a fine brew from the cauldron. Have a kick-ass weekend Hedge, a happy All-Hallows and a somehow yet-abiding Samhain.
ReplyDeleteMy 55: https://blueoran.wordpress.com/2017/10/27/bonefire/
Thanks, B. it's been a hard haunting for me this year, but I have tried. The muse is so ghostly herself of late...thanks so much for this generous comment, and for getting it, and for playing yourself--you are writing so well--it's a joy to see.
DeleteWell you certainly got the shadows to dance in this piece Joy. I think the childhood cure in this day and age for haints and haunts is best quoted by my three year old grandson. "Candy--yum! I like gummy bears"
ReplyDeleteMine can be found at the usual spot
Thanks, Mark--and thanks for speaking so eloquently of Galen in your intro, as well as for writing two arrow-sharp 55's. I wish the gummy bears could last longer for all our grandkids, and the horrors never come.
DeleteCreepy, what can happen to three fine ladies out of an evening! Have a kick-ass Halloween, dear BFF, and from one golem crone to another, a 55 for you:
ReplyDeletehttp://fireblossom-wordgarden.blogspot.com/2017/10/terror.html
Yay! My BFF played!!! That makes my whole weekend, and next week too. I loved your sweet and sassy 55, and the way you have of thinking as if there IS no box, let alone outside of it. Thanks so much!
Deletehttps://angieinspired.wordpress.com/2017/10/27/through/
ReplyDeletein, under, over, through
Your incarnation/incantation of the feminine archetypes is exquisitely rendered in this tight 55. Not a word has gone astray. I'm not sure which phase of womanhood I presently espouse.. I feel like a mix of all three.
ReplyDeleteHere is Miranda's musing of the day:
http://calibanandmiranda.blogspot.co.za/2017/10/spells-forever.html
Always good to see you here, Kerry, and to see you writing so tunefully. Thank you.
DeleteIn case you are wondering, yes, I did cackle like a lunatic when I read this. I know things are dark with the Maiden homeless and the Mother shriveled and the Crone... well, the Crone is probably not doing too badly since madness is not so bad these days. I hope in her glorious ancient wisdom (spiced up with nuts), she reaches out to the others and they make things a tad better. It's October after all, when the Veil is thin when there is sweet in the meanness grin, when all things can be.
ReplyDeleteIt's really comforting to me that you can find these doors out of despair in my darker thoughts, Magaly, because, of course, I'm really not a despairing person at all--I just clean my basement out with words a lot, ;) and I do believe that being free to be mad as the moon is the great boon of old age. 'sweet in the meanness grin' deserves a poel or tale of its own, btw. Thanks so much for this, and for writing your Ink and Feels saga in this form, where it really shines.
DeleteHere is my bit of Ink and Feels shaped as "Realities We Make". I wrote it last Tuesday, but... since I started the series here, I thought it should find its end (for now) here, too:
ReplyDeletehttp://magalyguerrero.com/realities-we-make/.
Thanks for concluding it here, and for playing, Magaly.
DeleteSo fun to see so many jump on board! I have a (brief) errand to run, but when I return I will be by to comment lavishly on everyone's contribution.
ReplyDeleteSteve King has an entry also this week. Here is what he wrote:
ReplyDelete"Joy, Your piece is so apt, both for the season and for the metaphor of shattered expectation and attenuated beauty.
Here's my contribution for the weekly fest. --Steve"
http://excursionsanddiversions-sking.blogspot.com/2017/10/to-see.html
Thanks for moving me to the right week, Joy. Mea culpa!!
DeleteMy pleasure--and thanks for writing such a fine 55.
DeleteFallen angels, I wonder who decided they erred. I am hearing cackles and the feather flush of black wings. Delightfully dark and so appropriate for Halloween.
ReplyDeleteHere is my contribution. http://blackinkhowl.blogspot.com/2017/10/roots.html
Goodness, Susie--this took my breath away, with fear and with truth. You've nailed what it is that we face, the hell that burns here around us every day, with such eloquence and sincerity that I am floored. Thank you for conributing at this high level.
DeleteI had no 55 this week, but I enjoyed yours. Perfect for the season.
ReplyDelete