Warmonger

I see him,
In cast-iron visage,
A harbinger of arms dealer joy,
Illuminated in the brimstone of industry,
Lighting up a cuban next to sea mines,
Counting rounds as if an attentive sire,
A self-appointed god of war,
Bestowing energetic gifts of abhorrent blitz,
To all of the unlucky boys and girls,

He visits foreign agoras,
Grinning with teeth of bullets,
He’s extant behind every shell-shocked orphans eyes,
As they grieve for yesterday’s barrage,
Slumped upon sun-scarred plains,
Torn and battered by winds of heavy calibre shells,
Despite this carnage his friends cheer him on,
There is profit to be made,
But first comes the war,

For the bliss of it all.

Some writing music: Part 64

Hello there inmates!

I hope you’ve all had a fantabulous day and that you all are having a festive holiday season. I hope you’ve all got everything you wanted and your families have been all stuffed full of Christmas food! I know I did! I had more than my fair share of roast taters and a few bevvies. All was certainly well!

So the end of 2020 is looming. It’s true that for most of us this is definitely a good thing. The year has been a definite letdown and a bit of a living nightmare for many. The year has been alright to me personally I will admit, but it can’t be denied that it was overall a horrific year. Let’s all hope for a better 2021. I am feeling unease when I think about it though. Though that could be the clown I ate earlier.

So, speaking of new years, this will be my last writing music post for 2020. I’ll still be continuing them in 2021 of course (and there’s one more poem tomorrow), but I must at least recognise this personal milestone myself. I’ll share some proper bangers, as the kids say these days, to send off the year in proper asylum style! Heres the final edition of the Harlequins writing music!

So, join me as delve into the musical minds of superlative artists the world over!

Project Pitchfork – Rain
http://www.project-pitchfork.eu

Enter Shikari – Sorry You’re Not A Winner
https://www.entershikari.com

Zedd – Stay The Night
http://www.zedd.net

Empire Of The Sun – We Are The People
https://empireofthesun.co

UB40 – Kingston Town
http://ub40.global

And there we have it for this final 2020 edition of the Harlequins writing music!

Not a bad send-off for the year eh? I suppose 2020 needs a cold hearted kick up the backside on the way out too. I hope you guys enjoy my picks for this episode, I truly think they all deserve more attention, as always. Be sure to give them a look and let me know what you think!

So, lets put my usual social media jargon in eh? The asylum has a presence on a few sites these days. I have a Facebook page, an Instagram account and a page on twitter. Please consider giving them a like or follow, it really helps. As always, if you enjoy what I do here at the asylum, please consider supporting me over at the Ko-fi page! Thank you for the year!

Until next year (so much comedy!), have a very crazy day inmates and a crazy new year!

Solace

I look down at this worn down body,
In this annual time of reflection,
Like an assessor at a road traffic collision,
My blood swills like a cauldron,
Each heartbeat a painful pulse in my temples,
Stress has overburdened this frame,
No solace even in ones downtime,
Somewhere an early grave is dug,

An unwinding repose is required,
So cloak me in lavender,
On a clear day of quiet,
Oblige me a rest upon warm grass,
Inundate me with scented candles,
Fragrances to burn away the strain,
A soothing face mask and herbal tea in the vicinity,
Let the breeze and fresh sky be a therapeutic agent,

I need this,
I need to tear this weight off,
This invisible tax upon my spirit and body,
Bring some balance and zen back,
To restore normalcy to my essence,
And fill back in that early grave.

Insatiate Year

The year has been a constant terror,
There can be no denial,
A dragon over all of our hovels,
A fell pall over the lives of all,
Health disaster on top of man-made upheaval,
Tantrums of tyrants alongside terminal patients alone,
Every twenty-four hours an incident as well as an achievement,

Many souls lost needlessly,
Whether by virus or inaction or civic ineptitude,
Spectres galvanised by this evil turn of the sun,
Progress grinding into reverse,
Society seeking the worst aspects of time travel,
This year broke us in ways unforeseen,
Though we were willing accomplices,

We must learn from this sadistic year,
Ascertain what sins we created ourselves,
Lest we fly headfirst into a new years fangs,
Horror disguised as hope,
A flytrap waiting for innocent gnats,
Humans in vulnerable aphid costumes,
And it hungers insatiably.

Winter Glass

The winter spectre is here again,
And the cruel shivers with it,
When my breath takes eerie forms before me,
And the ice rinks spread over the land,
When the skies become a silvery void,
Crying deluges of diamonds and snowflakes,

I spy out of this frosted over window,
My winter looking-glass,
The external realms appearing as blue and white kaleidoscope,
The sharp rain patters on the glass,
Leaving brisk hieroglyphics upon my view,
Stinging messages from Jack Frost,

I simply cannot read them,
Each vowel is simply a shudder to me,
A siberian dread,
And a hope for warmer weather.

Kodama

I took a jaunt along a forest trail this morn,
And immediately I start to feel their eyes,
Tiny eyes like fireflies all about,
The Kodama,
Infantile spirits of the boughs,
Bodies of moss and sage,
Slinking trunk to trunk,
Trees all bound by shimenawa,
Homes of woodwork and onmyo,
Lithely they rush around in innocence,

I do not interrupt their games,
They mean no harm to a traveller,
But only to romp amongst the jade,
But as I have been told before,
Dare not nick the trees skin,
Lest their mischief becomes your misfortune,
A curse of a yokai perhaps,
Instead they whisper a prayer to this respectful walker,
A blessing from the spirits,
I leave the forest rejuvenated,

Their frolics continue amidst the mystical leaves.

Festival

‘Tis the holiday season once more,
Can you hear the bells?
A chorus of Christmas cheer,
A symphony for everyone,
The winter festival of joviality is come,

I can hear it already,
The echoes of familiar voices,
The gaiety of family and friendly ovation,
The scent of turkey and bad television,
Brussel sprouts and too many liquors,

A time of togetherness,
Of forgetting this beast of a year,
The pine tree stands ready against the annual grinch,
No humbugs allowed here,
Merry Christmas to all!

Warpbeast

I heard tell of a creature,
Of a freakish beast that defies description,
A being of abominable flux,
An insult to nature,
With a form only describable with foul anecdotes,
It’s body spurns logic or sanity,

Tentacles like rotten eels,
An oily rat king writhing against reason,
A tongue that prattles heresy,
Uttering sounds like glass shattering post-collision,
Skin of indeterminable shade and composition,
Teeth attached to fingers attached to hair,

I recoiled at the sight,
A visual stench I could not wash away,
A memory that reeks of nonsensical atrocity.

Reminiscing On Previous Madness: A Sixth Outburst Of Disorder In A Mad Year

Hello there inmates!

I hope you’re all having a wonderful week and that you’re holiday season has been joyous so far, despite the world conspiring against us all. Viruses and political upheaval aside, it’s actually been really heartening to see people coming together and helping each other even under the current circumstances (which have take a nosedive in the UK). I’ve seen so many still giving to charity, whether it be money or toys for poor children. It does give me some uncharacteristic hope for the world.

So, down to business my friends. Today is not going to be a writing music post, but instead it shall be a brief look back at the previous year and my “highlights”. So, to begin with, the beginning of this year was an odd time for me. I was still recovering quite extensively from certain negative events of the last couple years. I was getting myself treated, but it would take monthes for me to begin to resemble myself again.

I had neglected the blog for a long time as well. I had a place to stay and friends around and that helped but it has been a long road. Starting from early in the year I forced myself to get writing again, and I am proud to say I have posted every single day since. It may seem minor to some, but it’s been my own ongoing therapy. There have been some setbacks over the year, but the one constant has been my writing.

I don’t know if it has shown, but the writing, the blog, the silly artwork and the responses from you folks has meant so much to me. It has been a galvanising element in my heart that has kept me (mostly) on course. I can also owe a lot of thanks to both my brother and my best friend-turned-partner Tash. I love you guys! I have a long way to go still and I have no intention of stopping any time soon. It’s been a mad year but my own brand of madness has been a shield and hopefully succor to others.

So, to hammer this point home slightly, I thought I’d highlight a few poems from the year that have been the closest to home so to speak. The ones that have spoken what my voice was unable to. The poems that have offered a look into my actual life if one were to read through the lines.

Here goes…

I’m Not Him – It wasn’t all fun and games, I was a broken clown at the beginning of the year.
Insomnia– A common symptom of depression. I was no different.
The Enclave – A poem about a place I once called a haven.
Drinking Problem – Well, this one kind of goes without saying.
Strike Out – All good things come to end.
The Road Onwards – Finally some positivity!
A Rose For You – All for Tash.
Harlequin Aspect – By November I began to return to my true self.

I think that will give enough food for thought. I am pretty proud of these pieces of work as well. I hope that you will give them a look if you haven’t already had them come up on your feed. It’d mean a lot.

So, I think I have waxed poetic enough for one post. I’d hate to bore you guys. I just thought with the year slowly waning that it deserved a proper look back. It’s been a hell of a rough year for us all. Let’s approach 2021 with our heads screwed on tight and ready for what may come. We made it through 2020, we can do anything, all of us.

So, I should probably include my social media spiel like usual eh? I have a prescence on Facebook, an Instagram account and an account on Twitter too. Also, if you enjoy what I do here at the asylum, please consider supporting me over at the Ko-fi page! Thanks for all your support!

Until next time, have a very crazy day dear inmates!

Keyboard Warrior

I see you in virtual space,
Wearing your mask of a monitor,
A maginot line for your real life ego,
You think yourself a technomancer,
A hacker and revolutionary coder,
Yet in real life you’re merely a follower,

You’re not alone in this realm of 0’s and 1’s,
Adherent to a collective of trolls,
Shadow friends,
Allies purely in pixels,
But they are a fickle lot,
How long before they cancel you?

A crusade against good taste,
No endgame in sight,
Getting your jollies from tearing others down,
Spewing bile for its own sake,
Caps lock in place of reason,
Your keyboard acting as blunt scalpel,

But what if that blade were turned on you?
Are you so brave in person?
Can the follower hold his own?
Do you truly hold the ideals of that base collective?
When you’re the next target for their games,
Will the keyboard protect you too?