This week's PRC is brought to you by a guest host. Me. I asked Stifle to let me give it a try. The rest is history
Here you can cast your two votes for the entries of Round 35. If you want to say something about the submission, write a review or see others' impressions, here is the Discussion Thread.
Vote!
", by Norm D. Plumb">Holly Jolly Melancholy
Thirty days has September
And all of them I do remember
Halfway in things went awry
Halfway out I thought I’d die
As expected went October
As suspected you weren’t sober
Thirty days and then one more
Thirty one days I did deplore
Soon thereafter came November
Just as long as was September
On the second you left me dry
On the third I wondered why
And finally I do recall
December killed me most of all
Perpetuated by my folly
Was holly jolly melancholy
A bittersweet yet tasteless thing
Not quite a gash not quite a sting
It’s hard to say just what it is
But when it’s yours it’s hard to live
Another year has rolled around
There’s not a sight and not a sound
Of you know who shall not be named
Least I slip back into my shame
If all you do is speak the truth,
no one will ever listen,
Because the truth is there is no truth,
And no one wants to hear that.
I dare you to think about it.
I dare you to think.
", by Madding">Empty
My heart is thick With phantom mist A shadowed forest, fireless For the will-o-wisps That flit to kiss the dark Have all but vanished
(Like a thousand stars Held tight within the grip Of Mammon's fist!)
's work out this problem together", by Sam111111">Let's work out this problem together
I said I wasn't going to be home tonight
but you thought that meant that I would have sex with hookers and party until the wee hours of the evening
(or at least that is what it seemed like to me looking at you with behaviorism suspicious and brooding)
When I say where I'm going you don't believe me
and my mouth makes this facial tic when I am telling
the truth
but it makes you think that I am lying
that I am a bad person
I would like to ask you why I am really so off-putting all the time to you
though I am also off-putting to a large number of other people with whom
(without this problem)
I would have a nice and marvelous time.
The truth of the matter is that it should be all right for me to leave you alone.
But maybe you are paranoid. I am well versed in the manner of
paranoids
and
schizophrenics
and others with medical brain problems
as I am a licensed doctor, and you should be able to tell me your concerns so that we can address them promptly.
I know a very lot indeed about surgery, in fact when the knife goes through the flesh ...
...
oh yes and you know you really do not appreciate
my feelings even the smallest bit
and i feel perfectly justified in doing this
i mean i have feelings too, right,
and i would wonder why you are so - just plain mean! but
it may be a bit too late for that with her questioning stare looking through and around me
i sense your presence in the room though you are not here, not really
the windows to the cellar are closed but it is drafty and i shiver.
But shouldn't it be marvelous? Why,
We're really having a marvelous time,
you and I.
't beat 'em, join 'em", by msun641">If you can't beat 'em, join 'em
Society's an old paper lunch bag,
Covered in vomit and
Filled with carbon dioxide of addicts.
Lying discarded and wrinkled
Among jagged glass bottles
And bloviating in the ashen wind
Like some pompous fool...
Who am I kidding?
", by Caitiri">Dream
One night while walking..........................And this I saw........................................I broke my stare
..through darkest wood............................as I slowly moved...................................and turned to run
..A vision appeared to me.........................Still closer to the Lamb............................The spirit at my back
With satyr’s horns.................................His wool was tipped.................................He quickly pounced
..and softest voice..................................with silver,............................................and with claws so sharp
..He bid my life to see..............................I slowly reached my hand.........................He powered his attack
And in my mind....................... .............It sat so still..........................................Like the bite of steel
..began to play.......................................he came to me.......................................he rent my flesh
..With dreamy quality...............................And brushed against my touch..................And I thought he’d steal my soul
A spurious song....................................It plunged my mind..................................But at that instant
..with meter short...................................into the sky...........................................the sun arose
..And beat so wildly.................................And filled my heart with love.....................And light painted o’er the whole
It tore my soul,....................................But my rapture was..................................The fire, it danced
..my mind was rent.................................so quickly ended......................................and flowed along
..In two by that fiery twin........................When right before my eyes........................Enfolding the deadly scene
Until I could not...................................The little Lamb,.................................... ...And with it’s power
..bear but break.....................................so innocent.............................................the Tiger faded
..My gaze and turn from him.....................Changed quick to my surprise................... ..Back to whence it came
And all around me.................................I cringed away........................................I slowly rose
..came the wails.....................................in loathing, fear.......................................and felt my skin
..Of sinner’s bleak despair.........................From the creature in my sight....................Untarnished by the blight
Whose reaching hands...........................With fiery fur..........................................And again began
..and ghostly touch.................................so darkly slashed.....................................to walk through trees
..Forced mine eyes despite my prayer.........It seemed to absorb the light.....................Now bathed by healing light
But upon turning back............................But that light then burned........................And as I walked
..I saw.......................................... .......within his eyes........................................I thought about
..With pleasure and relief........................ .The fiery forge that made the skies............The images I had seen
The creature had been...........................And it cast............................................And I wished that I
..changed in form....................................an eerie glow on me.................................could have them now
..A Lamb mine eyes did meet.....................Frozen beneath his gaze...........................Like I had them in that Dream
A Lamb so small....................................Slowly I stood.........................................Tiger and Lamb,
..with milky fur........................................and backed away....................................the two as one
..And eyes that gleamed within..................And with each step behind........................Both beside me as I walk
I looked with pleasure............................His image blurred......................................One on my left
..upon his face.......................................around the edge.......................................one on my right
..And took a step toward him....................‘Till it blurred into my mind..........................To catch me if I fall
But with each step................................But still his gaze.......................................But instead I walk with neither
..and reaching hand.................................always so steady......................................through this forest of my life
..He further moved from me.......................And staring back so fierce........................And I know I’ll face them once again
‘Til in a sweat.......................................With Nature’s power....................................when the stars come out at night.
..from my fast sprint................................and hidden hope
..I stopped again to see...........................It seemed my soul to pierce
‘Hallelujah.’ she whispers…
she whispers and wonders why,
wonders why and she sighs,
she sighs and looks to the sky.
And she breathes.
She breathes and the cold air enters her lungs,
as the cold air enters her lungs, her eyes fill with tears,
her eyes fill with tears, unaccounted, unanswered for…
Sometimes the joy,
the joy and the sadness mixture,
and the saddening mixture explodes within.
Explodes within and tears fall outside.
Life cannot be contained,
cannot be contained nor predicted and not controlled,
nor predicted and not controlled. Only lived.
Only lived, lived with all you’ve got.
And you are the only thing that you have.
The only thing you have but cannot own,
cannot own, because you gave it,
because you gave it on your own free will. Why did you?
She looks inside herself and sighs.
she sighs and wonders why,
she wonders why and she whispers...
She whispers, ‘Hallelujah…'
Here you can cast your two votes for the entries of Round 35. If you want to say something about the submission, write a review or see others' impressions, here is the Discussion Thread.
Vote!
Thirty days has September
And all of them I do remember
Halfway in things went awry
Halfway out I thought I’d die
As expected went October
As suspected you weren’t sober
Thirty days and then one more
Thirty one days I did deplore
Soon thereafter came November
Just as long as was September
On the second you left me dry
On the third I wondered why
And finally I do recall
December killed me most of all
Perpetuated by my folly
Was holly jolly melancholy
A bittersweet yet tasteless thing
Not quite a gash not quite a sting
It’s hard to say just what it is
But when it’s yours it’s hard to live
Another year has rolled around
There’s not a sight and not a sound
Of you know who shall not be named
Least I slip back into my shame
no one will ever listen,
Because the truth is there is no truth,
And no one wants to hear that.
I dare you to think about it.
I dare you to think.
My heart is thick
With phantom mist
A shadowed forest, fireless
For the will-o-wisps
That flit to kiss the dark
Have all but vanished
(Like a thousand stars
Held tight within the grip
Of Mammon's fist!)
I said I wasn't going to be home tonight
but you thought that meant that I would have sex with hookers and party until the wee hours of the evening
(or at least that is what it seemed like to me looking at you with behaviorism suspicious and brooding)
When I say where I'm going you don't believe me
and my mouth makes this facial tic when I am telling
the truth
but it makes you think that I am lying
that I am a bad person
I would like to ask you why I am really so off-putting all the time to you
though I am also off-putting to a large number of other people with whom
(without this problem)
I would have a nice and marvelous time.
The truth of the matter is that it should be all right for me to leave you alone.
But maybe you are paranoid. I am well versed in the manner of
paranoids
and
schizophrenics
and others with medical brain problems
as I am a licensed doctor, and you should be able to tell me your concerns so that we can address them promptly.
I know a very lot indeed about surgery, in fact when the knife goes through the flesh ...
...
oh yes and you know you really do not appreciate
my feelings even the smallest bit
and i feel perfectly justified in doing this
i mean i have feelings too, right,
and i would wonder why you are so - just plain mean! but
it may be a bit too late for that with her questioning stare looking through and around me
i sense your presence in the room though you are not here, not really
the windows to the cellar are closed but it is drafty and i shiver.
But shouldn't it be marvelous? Why,
We're really having a marvelous time,
you and I.
Society's an old paper lunch bag,
Covered in vomit and
Filled with carbon dioxide of addicts.
Lying discarded and wrinkled
Among jagged glass bottles
And bloviating in the ashen wind
Like some pompous fool...
Who am I kidding?
One night while walking..........................And this I saw........................................I broke my stare
..through darkest wood............................as I slowly moved...................................and turned to run
..A vision appeared to me.........................Still closer to the Lamb............................The spirit at my back
With satyr’s horns.................................His wool was tipped.................................He quickly pounced
..and softest voice..................................with silver,............................................and with claws so sharp
..He bid my life to see..............................I slowly reached my hand.........................He powered his attack
And in my mind....................... .............It sat so still..........................................Like the bite of steel
..began to play.......................................he came to me.......................................he rent my flesh
..With dreamy quality...............................And brushed against my touch..................And I thought he’d steal my soul
A spurious song....................................It plunged my mind..................................But at that instant
..with meter short...................................into the sky...........................................the sun arose
..And beat so wildly.................................And filled my heart with love.....................And light painted o’er the whole
It tore my soul,....................................But my rapture was..................................The fire, it danced
..my mind was rent.................................so quickly ended......................................and flowed along
..In two by that fiery twin........................When right before my eyes........................Enfolding the deadly scene
Until I could not...................................The little Lamb,.................................... ...And with it’s power
..bear but break.....................................so innocent.............................................the Tiger faded
..My gaze and turn from him.....................Changed quick to my surprise................... ..Back to whence it came
And all around me.................................I cringed away........................................I slowly rose
..came the wails.....................................in loathing, fear.......................................and felt my skin
..Of sinner’s bleak despair.........................From the creature in my sight....................Untarnished by the blight
Whose reaching hands...........................With fiery fur..........................................And again began
..and ghostly touch.................................so darkly slashed.....................................to walk through trees
..Forced mine eyes despite my prayer.........It seemed to absorb the light.....................Now bathed by healing light
But upon turning back............................But that light then burned........................And as I walked
..I saw.......................................... .......within his eyes........................................I thought about
..With pleasure and relief........................ .The fiery forge that made the skies............The images I had seen
The creature had been...........................And it cast............................................And I wished that I
..changed in form....................................an eerie glow on me.................................could have them now
..A Lamb mine eyes did meet.....................Frozen beneath his gaze...........................Like I had them in that Dream
A Lamb so small....................................Slowly I stood.........................................Tiger and Lamb,
..with milky fur........................................and backed away....................................the two as one
..And eyes that gleamed within..................And with each step behind........................Both beside me as I walk
I looked with pleasure............................His image blurred......................................One on my left
..upon his face.......................................around the edge.......................................one on my right
..And took a step toward him....................‘Till it blurred into my mind..........................To catch me if I fall
But with each step................................But still his gaze.......................................But instead I walk with neither
..and reaching hand.................................always so steady......................................through this forest of my life
..He further moved from me.......................And staring back so fierce........................And I know I’ll face them once again
‘Til in a sweat.......................................With Nature’s power....................................when the stars come out at night.
..from my fast sprint................................and hidden hope
..I stopped again to see...........................It seemed my soul to pierce
...........................................................................................................................................................-Caitiri
‘Hallelujah.’ she whispers…
she whispers and wonders why,
wonders why and she sighs,
she sighs and looks to the sky.
And she breathes.
She breathes and the cold air enters her lungs,
as the cold air enters her lungs, her eyes fill with tears,
her eyes fill with tears, unaccounted, unanswered for…
Sometimes the joy,
the joy and the sadness mixture,
and the saddening mixture explodes within.
Explodes within and tears fall outside.
Life cannot be contained,
cannot be contained nor predicted and not controlled,
nor predicted and not controlled. Only lived.
Only lived, lived with all you’ve got.
And you are the only thing that you have.
The only thing you have but cannot own,
cannot own, because you gave it,
because you gave it on your own free will. Why did you?
She looks inside herself and sighs.
she sighs and wonders why,
she wonders why and she whispers...
She whispers, ‘Hallelujah…'
She whispers, ‘Hallelujah.'