A jeweler digs Through his glittering wares And desires to keep The fairest of all. His fingers Feel all their crystal faces, Attuned to every bump or blemish Like a spider's leg In perfect sync With every tremble Along its gossamer web. Yet, H finds nothing But glassy bodies Smooth as skin Shaved bare. If... Continue Reading →
Beyond the mountain pass Lies a trail bathed In milky starlight. Mossy trees Hold the road With gnarled hands Clothed in silver And green. Pretty, pink Flowers bloom at your feet. Their soft scent Tickles your tongue. You Taste neither lilac Nor lily. Death Coats every fleshy bud. You hurry Your pace. Flowers fade As... Continue Reading →
In a former blog post, I created a treasure hunt in the style of Byron Preiss's The Secret (a Treasure Hunt). I hid an opal ring somewhere in the US and crafted a riddle to lead the brightest among you to it. However, I guess my treasure hunt wasn't as difficult as Preiss's because after... Continue Reading →
Fireflies flit Around the beckoning flames Like paper lanterns, Shimmery and gold, Floating towards the sun. You hum a labored tune Deep in your weary chest. The air is crisp, Your fingers numb. Your voice fails. Your head falls While the scorched logs Hiss, and the smoke Rises ever higher.
The lake sits quiet. Not a ripple stirs The shore. Night is a threadbare Shroud, hung loose Over the cool waters. Stars dance, And the silver moon bares A crescent smile. Scents Of mint and clove Drift on the gentlest Breeze. A single Flower blooms, Its velvet petals dark As dusk. The crickets Trill. The... Continue Reading →
Avengers: Infinity War has finally come out. It is the culmination of 10 years and 19 films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). But it is also a great time to look back at all the greatest films. So out of the 19 films in the MCU, let's look at the 10 best ones. Everyone's... Continue Reading →
I call myself a collector of sorrows. As a teen, I felt alone and ignored. My classmates bullied me, and my parents spent most of their time at work. They didn’t have the time or care to hear how Brett pushed me on the playground or how Tommy joked about my big nose. After a... Continue Reading →
The second installment of the Ashborne Chronicles is out. Get a free electronic copy this Thursday through Monday. Or start the series from the start with How Black is the Shadow. Shadows of war spread over the kingdom of Norgrad after the untimely death of its king. In the west, Vindan gathers its forces.... Continue Reading →
In honor of Earth Day, here’s another look at my poem “I Dreamt of Home”
I dreamt
Of an ancient tree
Stripped bare
To its silver branches.
Harlequin leaves
Lay in clumps
At its twisted roots,
Whose frail tendrils
Reached ever outwards.
I dreamt
Of an iron sun
In a sky of cold steel.
Ashen clouds marched
In boundless, black regiments.
From far off
I heard the crack of thunder,
And the stench
Of gunpowder
Rained down
On the earth.
I dreamt
Of bitter seas
The color of cabernet.
Plastic dregs rolled
Through the churning surf
While creatures of the deep,
Drunk on the ocean,
Floated atop the wind-tossed waves.
And I dreamt
Of men and women
That laughed and danced
In the city streets,
Where the pavement shone gold
In the fluorescent light.
Music bounced
From house to house,
Whose crystal walls
Stood high above
The ageless roots.
Yes, I dreamt
And I dreamt
And I’m dreaming still.
