A Fool of a King

‘Twas once a country great
One which had no wars or hate
For decades Crete knew only calmness
But then a tyrant came to Gnossus
And stole the throne from the heirs
Fame and bitter glory were his only cares
To his people he lied
Only to protect his kingly hide
To many a battle, his people he sent
Unjust war and to the public more untruths went
Now Crete remains decadent and it’s people unclean
The prize won by a fool of a king

Eternal Fire

Embers fly into the wind
Flames eternal they shall send
Igniting my love for thee
Love for I do decree
Forever the fire burns
And forever my love yearns

Empty Bodies

They float upon the river
Broken, bruised, half buried under each other
Slaughtered men… the victims of battle
And nearby lies a village, meek and small
Whose huts contain the empty bodies of those the warriors swore to sustain
Burnt cinders of charred bodies line the flaming houses
Wounded in death, the bodies lie in the streets
Skin ripped open from the bullets
Children lie dead in the old square
All we can do now in their honour
Is to bury the empty bodies
And tell their untold stories

A Dove That Cannot Fly Free

What is a dove that cannot fly free?
Caged in the hands of a dæmon crushing it like grapes
Like a child to a butterfly peeling off its wings
And the screams it makes loud and unheard
In an empty room it cries out to the gods
Yet helpless the dove somehow feels empowered
In pain it lays there in the dæmon’s hands
Looking up towards the light
Even in the darkest of caves
The dove reaches out for hope
Crushed, bloody, bruised
Unable to move
Yet the dove moves forward
Knowing that someday it shall be free

Concerning Hatred and War

This world of hate, is sometimes all I can see
Fighting each other over every mountain and sea
For thy precious space and rescource
Choosing paths that let greed run its course
And bring blood upon our lands
Who is to atone against our evil hands
Which kill those who know not why
Why must those poor souls die
Extinguished as a seedling
Its body lay ashen, less than that of the frailest weakling
And what gives one
The right to make a youn sapling into ashes none
And who is to repent for all those who have quelled the embers
For those whose body are weak, and minds that can’t remember

Should it consume us all and carry our souls into the massive Hells
We must carry that cold truth
Let it take deep root
That we are the ones that dug the well

An Autumn's Chill

Leaves fall gently to the ground
Float in the chilled wind of late October
The squirrels nestle their acorns in the nests
And the bear gets ready his winter’s slumber
Gracious winds whisper to Mother Earth

It tells all her creatures to ready for the snows
That so gently fall to the ground
And cover the slopes and hills and fertile valleys
With a serene white that reflects all the grace of the land

It speaks to the farmer to harvest the late crops
And ready the feast that gathers the family
Relights the candle of generosity in the heart of man

That gentle breath of nature gives beauty
And tames all the souls to quaint calm

Tranquility embraces all that autumn embraces

Accelerate

Prompt and redy, standing alert prepared to launch
The gun fires, gunning for the goal
Heart pounding, blood racing
Her shoes of fire, her mind clear
Hearing only her feet against the pavement
The crowd watches, cheers for her
Focussed on speed, the track yearns for victory
And to win she must accelerate
Quicken like the breeze to the kite
Fast like an engine, her determination becomes victory
Her victory, a legend

Haiku of the Seasons

Seasons:
Forever changing
The gods' eternal romance
The cause of this wheel

Spring:
Sunny springtime days
Take caution in April rains
Love blooms with flowers

Summer:
Seek shade, water, fun
Dog days are hot and humid
Typhoons, be prepared

Autumn:
Cool temperatures
Leaves bonny: red, yellow, brown
Harvest time, give thanks

Winter:
Grand vista of snow
Cold air fogs the misty breath
Dress warm and live well

Seasons:
Forever changing
The gods' eternal romance
The cause of for the wheel

A Walk Along the Suwannee

Yesterday I took a walk along the Suwannee
Ye great river that bends into shallow swamps and deep crystal springs
Stumps of old live oaks speak to the cypress knee
And tell the story of the warrior Osceola, the most honourable of the Seminole kings
The ferns told me of his many feats, and his Native American pride
The story of a failed war so bravely fought
Willows whisper to the tales of the many who died
Massacred by the government, neglected… taunted
And the Earth tells the tale of Native greats
On the banks of the Suwannee
Were so many met their fate

Madness in the Desert

"Madness in the Desert"
by Faolan Devyn Baldwin

From the journal of Ralph M. Stenson:

September, 1921

The desert night was lone and dreadful – it was one unlike any other. The wind that had raged the badlands had begun the settle and the dust fell to the ground in a most unnatural, heavy fashion. The cool night air of the Kaibab Cliffs was still and I could not get out of my head the sounds of the night that passed through and cut the  seemingly endless silence that stretched across this barren desert. This was an ancient land where madness and sanity were forever in collision – a place where the light of reality overlaps the umbrance of the unknown. And it was in this place near that desolate road leading towards Flagstaff where my expedition would lead me – a place which on that night could not have been more isolated from the reason and safety of civilization.

It was here where many years of research had sent me: a barren and hidden city of the ancient Ananasi. It was a most sacred place, yet it forebode anyone for entering the stone structures embedded on the high cliffs. A former trail which long ago had eroded away led the way. Now there were only shrubs and boulders which stood in place, blocking what was now a gully which torrents flowed during the seldom rains. However, that did not deter my determination to set up camp in the most forgotten place. And it was here, near a large stone temple where I was to camp for the night, but as the night progressed and the land darkened I found myself unable to sleep.

It was not because I had believed the rubbish fables of this once holy city becoming an accursed place where only dæmons roam, nor was it because of the tales of others who had supposedly happened upon this site. Still, one could not get the feeling some sort of great and terrible abomination was peering into one’s very soul. There were even times when my good senses seemed to play tricks, for there were times when the ever watching guardians would make themselves known on the walls as shadowy figures without any distinguished form. The would follow and retreat – flicker like a candle’s flame in a drafty old room. It was as if at every moment I was being surveilled by the eyes of crazed

 wraiths. This place was resonating with a terror which struck at the chords of my very soul. Something was telling me to keep away, but my explorer’s will was driving me to steed forth and stay the course. In fact, it was begging me into the ruins.

At that moment I had realized I had to overcome this paranoia which had me in its grasp. I stood up and and with my lantern I began to walk about, looking around seeing the ghosts of a once great citadel on these Arizonan cliffs. Several minutes had passed by and I walked deeper into the ruins finding myself in the center of the back wall where standing stones guarded a massive temple entrance. As I entered I felt a presence behind me. It was as if someone grabbed my shirt and then whispered something inaudible in my ear. But lo, I turned around to find only empty air and the shadows of my lantern dancing against the walls.

That is when I looked out to the horizon to see lights dancing and hovering over the distant sands. A common, yet unknown phenomena in these parts that only made this expedition ever more unbecoming. Suddenly a light emitted out of one of the crafts where were now hovering close, some almost overhead. At that point I ran towards the stone temple against the high cliff and hid in what appeared to be a crevasse as the lights scanned over the ruins as if they were ominous eyes searching over the rubble for unwelcome visitors. Eyes that knew someone had violated this most occult site. The beam scanned the ruins as I hid amongst the rubble slowly. Silently I entered into the chambers, hoping that my trespass would go unnoticed – that the eyes that had been watching would be blind to my passing, but I was all too soon about to realize how wrong I was: for here in this most dreadful place there was no nook left unto privy.

The entrance into the temple was small, but inside there was a large colonnade which at the back had entrances into several deep catacombs. The entire complex was much larger than I thought and not typical of either the modern Nations nor of the Pueblo culture of old. This was much larger, and in many ways had a more Old World feeling, but the scale was overbearing and the primitive nature of this chambers made the air feel as if it was sinking into my lungs.

It was here where I realized I was not alone. I could not see them. I could not here them. But they made their presence known all the same. The light which I sought to escape, I could see penetrating into the temple as if it knew where I hid. As if it were waiting for me come out. There was no turning back, and the night was still in its infancy. I moved on deeper into the catacombs hurrying along in a quiet manner. As I did the shadows on the wall seem dance on the walls in a wild fashion even though the lamp emitted a bright, constant light. They leaped out from the walls as if the grab me. It was as if the darkness itself was trying to consume in the most literal of fashions.

Just what were these things? Figures of men without bodies. Did I happen upon some portal which led directly to the bowels of the nether-realms? Had I stumbled upon the threshold of Hell?

I could not avoid them and I rushed through this long hallway with haste as they reached for me, grabbing at coat. Several had entangled me in their horrific grasp as I reached near the end, knocking me down. Their arms were like tentacles of pure darkness that wrapped around my ankles and arms. They dragged me closer to the walls. Or rather they dragged me towards what looked to be a portal that must have opened up to a literal non-existence. My heart raced as I stared into abyss, the eyes of the shadow men staring back at me with their glowing red eyes.

And somehow, through what I thought must have been some miracle I felt myself flung from their grasp and launched into a huge inner chamber. I could see them retreating to the walls, keeping their distance as the continued to observe me.

This room was spacious containing a colonnade which lead to what could only be described as an alter statue. This room had the look of being once sealed, as something during very ancient times had been sealed away. And what it was was staring me in the face of that statue: an unkind abomination whose image was enough to install fear into my heart. It looked as though it had been sleeping and I stood in silence lest I were to wake it -- even though I knew this was not possible. But this night had been full of impossibilities. I could rule nothing out of the realm of possibilities.

My spine shivered as I gazed up it. Its elliptical cranium. Its long, pointed fingers that seemed as claws. Its fanged mouth from which hung terrible tentacles. Its wings which seemed flexed ready for flight. This was an image straight out of Hell itself. It seemed as if it were deep in slumber.

Panic filled my soul and I feel a chill run up my spine. Someone -- or something -- had entered the room. The shadow-men had ceased their dance and the light from outside had somehow entered into the room. The light saturated everything it touched, but did not sanctify it. The light hit the walls and seemed to vaporize the shadow-men and I could feel behind me a presence of stoic evil.

My mind told me to run, but my body was compelled to paralysis. It was like I was being bound by an invisible force. The more I tried to escape the more frozen I became. It was like my body had become encased in a metal cast. And worse, I was suddenly being forced to move! Yes, forced to turn around and face whatever dreadful object of fear that was to plague me. My body turned in an instant that seemed like eternity. In an unsightly flash I looked upon them and they were gone in the instant that I saw them. Their images remained in my mind to their slender bodies, their dark bulbous eyes that were like empty voids, their pale skin against the bright light.

I do not know what happened after that only that I must have made it outside to a stone-floored grotto which overhung the ruins. Day had broke and the desert sun swiftly began to bear down upon the land. Had I gone mad in what were empty chambers? I wandered the premises but found no trace of the things that I had seen the night before. The chambers leading into the alter were sealed. Their weight could not be moved. Assuredly, it must have all been just a nightmare, but it seemed all to real.

An Open Letter to Apple

Dear Apple Computers:
Thank you for the excellent show of character from the employees at the Mac Store inside the Valley River Center mall.

I was in there to drop off my resume and for the first time in a few weeks I received something other than a lukewarm greeting and a rush through the usual motions to speed me out. Most places now days treat those who enquire about employment with a sense of contempt and annoyance. Being unemployed, the most dreaded part of the day is the job search which for me means riding all over town on my seven speed Schwinn dressed in my best clothes knowing that I will face not only rejection but outright and over-the-top rudeness. There are times that, quite frankly, I even feel guilty for walking in and asking. No one should ever be made to feel guilty for trying to trying to get back on their feet.

Your representatives at the Mac Store acted in a manner of diginity, respect, and patience that I rarely have seen in my decade or so of working in the retail and customer service. The store was busy when I walked in holding my file folder in one hand and a resume in the other and sending me off on my way as quickly as possible would have been the most expedient thing, but the clerk spoke with me and notified her manager who tried to locate the store manager who was at lunch.

The sales floor manager took some time to look over my resume and told me to come back in an hour to speak with store manager who spoke with me and reviewed my resume despite the store being busy and despite the fact that he had just conducted a job interview.

I just wanted to think the employees here for these simple acts of patience and kindness. We all too often forget about these virtues. It is often times seemingly easier just to dismiss others, but by doing so we gain nothing as people nor do we gain the blessings of others.

As a buisness, your company has done a great thing here by acknowledging that as a job-seeker I am a potential customer -- a fact that I really wish other businesses would understand. By treating others with respect, we gain theirs.

Many thanks for making my day. Being jobless and homeless is a depressing, boring, and freightful thing. It was good to be able to talk into a store and treated as a person.

Sincerely:
Kitsune Rising