Month: September 2018

Abused

musing

They say you only remember the good times in your life. It’s not always true. For two years that I went to a school for disabled children, and before I was main-streamed into public school, I only remember the unpleasant. Something that never should have taken place. Something very wrong.
I dreaded the moment when the teacher-assistant went on her daily break, I knew it would happen. It wasn’t in some secret place, or even hidden away. With no regard to the other students, it was right there in the class room. I can’t imagine what the other kids were thinking seeing their teacher being disgusting, and using me for his play thing.
Looking back I don’t know why I just didn’t speak up. Maybe I was afraid. I can’t remember how I felt. Maybe I still had trust in the teacher. At that age you’re told the teacher is…

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4th Halloween-Poem Contest

Halloween fun!

Writer's Treasure Chest

It is a great pleasure for me to announce the
4th Halloween-Poem Contest
on ‘Writer’s Treasure Chest’.
************************************************

Every author and poet are invited to participate and deliver a “Halloween-Poem” to my email address: aurorajean.alexander@aol.com, together with their picture and a link to their blog/page.

There are a few rules to follow:

  1. Your poem needs a Halloween theme.
  2. Your poem needs a minimum of 99 words.
  3. Your poem has to be delivered to my email address between October 10 and Halloween, October 31, 2018, 9 pm Central Standard Time.
  4. Your poem has to be delivered together with your picture and a link to your blog/page.
  5. Please avoid violence, bad language, and sexual content within the poems. It would be disqualified.

Every poem that meets the rules and is delivered within the deadline will be published here on “Writer’s Treasure Chest” together with the provided picture.

End of this month…

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Slut (and a few additional thoughts)

Vampire Maman

A story from my friend Bart. He’ll tell you all about it (you might have heard this before but it is a story well worth repeating – I’m sure a lot of you can relate.) At the end I will have a few more thoughts of my own.

Slut

A lot of us have kids in college, or starting college in the next year or two. One of the big things everyone is talking about is sexual assault on campus or in college towns. I’ve talked about it with my two kids who are in college. Everyone has, at least everyone who is a decent parent.

So I get this call from Hodge Williams. Yes, that Hodge Williams. Everyone remembers him.

“Bart, how are you?” As soon as he spoke I wondered what he wanted.

“Hodge. Fine. Great. Life is good. What’s up?”

“I’m writing a story on the history…

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Short Story Sunday: Night Dogs

Vampire Maman

Tangled Tales

Constantine Jones sat on the bottom of the museum steps wondering what just happened.

Earlier that evening he’d put on his best Armani suit, a Hermes silk tie, and was feeling good about the outcome of the evening. It was to be a charity event. Beautiful people would be there dressed up. Everyone would be relaxed, and happy, and it would be delightfully fun.

After discussing art and drinking champagne he’d lured a few well-heeled patrons to remote galleries to see some unusual modern art. There he took a few pints of blood from wrists and left his donors with no memories, except those of a delightful conversation with a well dressed, nice looking young art expert. Well, a 165 year old art expert, but that was besides the point.

Then in the main gallery, the California Room, he saw her standing in front of the Thomas Hill grand painting…

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Ikkyū and Sōgi discuss creativity and the infinite: a koan

I’m loving this post. “Output is finite. Input is eternal.”

Progressive Culture | Scholars & Rogues

“Output is finite,” says Sōgi. “Input is eternal.”

Sogi-vs-Ikkyu

Sōgi sits at a small table. Before him are several papers covered in numbers, formulas, scraps of text, and … well, doodles.

“What’s all this?” asks Ikkyū.

“A meditation on creativity and the infinite,” Sōgi replied.

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No Betas Allowed — Vampire Verisimilitude

Fun stuff.

Cedarcrest Sanctum

Consider this “Myth of the Immortal Court, Part II: By the Numbers.”

I’ve mentioned before the ridiculous Mathematical Impossibility of Vampires, or what I call the Daybreakers Fallacy. In short, humans postulate Vampires cannot exist because everyone in the world would have become a bloodsucker already.

As if Vampires would let such a thing happen. We’re not zombies, we’re not stupid, and one bite does not equal Vampire.

But this brings me to a key point: supposed “immortal courts” make no sense because all Vampires are alphas and see one another as mutual enemies. So what’s the big deal with dark princes and princesses and all that? Here’s my best guess.

We all know Dracula was a Count, but that doesn’t mean all Vampires are royalty or have to be. Werewolves draw strength from packs while witches have their covens — neither of which actually exist the way you think…

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‘Damn those eyes’

I had to share.

johncoyote

Damn those eyes

My life had no beginning, no ending till I saw you. You were so beautiful,
you made my drink taste bitter and my hunger to die.
Forgotten.

Those kind and gentle brown eyes made me know some kind of peace.
I wanted only.
To have your eyes upon my face and to hear your words whispered to me in the darkness of the lonely night.

I asked you.
Are your my savior? Are you my siren to lead me to the dead seas of emotions?

I  told the Pacific,
damn those eyes,
damn her beautiful face.
I asked her.
I need you near,
I need you always.
Please my dear love.

Come with me.
Come with me to where lovers don’t lie.
Come with me where we are true and free.

Beautiful eyes of golden brown whispered.
Damn your sweet words.
Your words like sweet candy and…

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The Poetry Corner featuring Vic Tomlinson

The BiaLog

Good morning and welcome to this week’s Poetry Corner, featuring Vic Tomlinson! 🙂

The Streamby Vic Tomlinson

The old stream

just keeps flowing.

I could spend all my time

just watching and listening to it.

I stick my feet in

and it cools me on a hot day.

It trickles down

from one level to another.

Patches of moss are scattered

along the edges.

Tiny minnows nibble

at my toes.

Small pebbles lie

beneath my feet.

It just keeps going and going

before and after me.

Awesome, Vic! I love the imagery. It takes me back to when I used to play in the crik. 🙂 🙂

Keep up with Vic by following him on:

Twitter

If you would like to share your poetry here, or know anyone that would like to be featured, please email me at cpbialois@gmail.com

As always, any poetry shared remains the property of the poet…

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Musings on Dusk and Art

Vampire Maman

William Keith - Dusk near Monterey William Keith – Dusk Near Monterey

I was in my dining room, one cat sitting on the table and one in a chair ready to take a swipe at the other’s tail. My eyes went to the painting on the wall and I allowed myself to be transported to the coast. It was dusk. The wind was in my hair, the cats were playing around my feet. The waves made what would turn into the music of the night.

My brother Max and Grandmama Lola still keep a cottage there, from their days hanging out with artists and other Bohemian types. I still love to spend time there in the cottage that now acts as a safe house of sorts.

Then I’m back in my house, transported back to another place in another century.

As I’ve often said – I can’t explain the wonder and awe and feeling of being…

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The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs by Steve Brusatte

Dinosaurs are awesome. Sounds like a really fun book.

The Horror Hothouse

I love dinosaurs, always have since I was a kid and got my first introduction via a long-lost Look and Learn book and Raquel Welch in Hammer’s One Million Years BC (1966). So naturally I was overcome with childish excitement when, as I was killing time browsing in Foyles bookshop before a preview, I discovered Steve Brusatte’s new book The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs.

rise and fall Cover imge illustration by Andrew Davidson

Brusatte is a paleontologist at the University of Edinburgh, but The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs is very far from a stuffy academic book. It is also something of a personal journey as Steve takes us from the dawn of the age of the dinosaurs in the Triassic Period up until their extinction is marked by the iridium layer in the fossil record as the Cretaceous Period gave way to the Paleogene period and the rise…

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