Wednesday April 12th, 2017

The exercise:

Write about: the nightmare.

Sold out at the bakery for the first time in weeks (months, even?). Took until 15 minutes before closing time, but we got there eventually.

Looks like Easter week is going to be a busy one. The hot cross buns were certainly popular today at any rate.

Miles officially turned one today. Hard to believe. Here's a shot from his birthday, where he's enjoying his cupcake treat:


It's been quite the ride over the last year. I can only imagine what the next one has in store for us.

Mine:

Shadows host dark secrets,
Odd voices speak strange words.
The whole world is normal,
Except... no, not quite.
Everything is not right.
Just a touch abnormal -
The children talk like birds
And strength becomes weakness.

I just want to wake but
I can't find my alarm;
The rooster has gone mute.
I can't even scream!
I can't escape this dream!
Where's my sleep parachute?
Get me out before harm
And fear glue my eyes shut.

Edit: that was not the easiest rhyme scheme to work with (especially because I didn't pick it until after I'd written the fifth line of the opening stanza). I was not happy with myself when I decided to do a second stanza, but the first didn't feel complete on its own.

Ah well, I think it ended up all right. Maybe next time I'll plan ahead.

2 comments:

Greg said...

I really like how there are just hints of the rest of the family in the background of that shot as well; it's clear that you've captured that moment of enjoyment before people rush in to help eat the cake, clean up the crumbs and return things to normal :)
Plus, I can understand why the Hot Cross buns are popular; Easter's an excuse to eat them after all!
I do like the rhyme scheme you've chosen for the poem, and it's definitely strongest in the verse stanza as your editing notes observe, but that doesn't mean that it's at all bad in the second. In fact the only (slight) problem I can see with the second is that it doesn't quite get the rhythm of the first going again straight off, but it picks up pretty quickly. And the whole thing successfully describes the dreamlike state and unwaking terror of a nightmare!

The nightmare
Yes, she's a horse not a quagga;
One with three legs, but she staggers
Unbidden through the minds of your wise men.

Tears are the only water for plants, where
Escher-like staircases stretch along walls and across
Roofs. A wooden throne sits astride a
Rotting platform where the black Queen,
Isis, holds court with demons and dogs.
Fear and Rage dance, Vanity prances...
Yes, she's only a horse.

Memories invade the waking mind,
Every last wise man goes mad.

Marc said...

Greg - thanks :)

Impressive acrostic! Seems like you quite enjoyed your month of poetry, and I am quite enjoying catching up on it :)

Also: rhyming quagga and staggers (I don't care how you wrote it, in my head it's 'staggas') is friggin' great.

Also, also: there seems to be some disagreement on how to pronounce quagga. I don't care. It rhymes with stagga.