[illustration for E.A. Poe by Alberto Martini, via] Escapism by Kalyiel I never could get used to this voice from a statue or a parrot, a voice that came out of the dreams, not from a throat. ~ Julio Cortázar, "House Taken Over" If you could get out of here, where would you go? Have …
Day Thirteen: Imaginings
I wrote today's poem on a train, and it was inspired by a greeting card (see below). The quotation in italics that I used within the poem is from "The Spy", sung by The Doors. False Memoirs from Prague by Kalyiel Crescent moon and alleyway knee-deep in darkness. The sort of people you only meet …
Nostalgia: Day Twelve
Today's NaPoWriMo prompt was very much to my liking, and so I've written a poem accordingly. The prompt: Spend a few moments examining an old photograph—a found image, a photo from childhood, an iconic shot from history—and give it a title. Then put the photo aside and write a poem using this title. The "photograph" …
At the Back of One’s Mind: Day Eleven
The eleventh one is in celebration of my newly-acquired tarot deck. And since tarot calls for a decent amount of obscurity, I've decided for a title in Romanian (well, half of it, at least). [detail from "The Temptation of St Anthony" by Hieronymus Bosch, via Wikipedia] Oasele desperecheate ale altcuiva or Rites of Passage by …
Day Ten
A really quick one, since I've been away all day. (And no internet.) A Petition by Kalyiel Oh, spare me the unreason of sleep, said I. Spare me sleep and give me dreams, yes, Dreams instead, so frothy and full of life, Full of cities I've never been to, places That don't exist - well, …
NaPoWriMo Day Nine: Filling in Spaces
Yep, that's what I've been doing today. Filling in spaces. [via Le Divan Fumoir Bohémien] To My Notebook by Kalyiel Whether all the flowers have fairies, I canot determine, any more than I can be sure whether all men and women have souls. ~ George MacDonald, "Phantastes" These lines that stare me in the face …
Of Toys and Shadows: NaPoWriMo Day Eight
Today's poem was partly inspired by the NaPoWriMo prompt for the day, and partly by Angela Carter, to whom I would dedicate it, were it not for the fact that Angela Carter deserves much better. 🙂 Well, anyway... ["Edwina et Victoria" by Julien Martinez] The Toy-Box by Kalyiel They are all shadows. How can you …
Some Absurdities and NaPoWriMo Day Seven
First, I'll give myself and my bibliophile readers a treat by posting some photos of a book I purchased back in autumn. I'm talking about a 1941 edition of one of my favourite childhood books, Travels and Adventures of Baron Munchausen. I found it - as I find most of the delightful things I purchase …
Ekphrasis…
Today I went to the Herbert Museum, to have a look at their "Secret Egypt" exhibition. As it turned out, it was pretty good, in spite of its being quite small, so I'd heartily recommend it to anyone living in the Coventry area. One of the nice things about going to see the exhibition was …
Writing Feels Better Nowadays…
Just odds and ends, today. Odds and ends. ["Porte Dorée 8" by Irina Ionesco, via] Cuckoo-Clock by Kalyiel But at my back in a cold blast I hear The rattle of the bones, and the chuckle spread from ear to ear. ~ T.S. Eliot, "The Fire Sermon" in "The Waste Land" It was a cold …
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