Some writing music: Part 79

Hello there inmates!

How are you all? Having a fun week? My week has been reasonably busy, both in writing and “IRL” stuff. I’m not a great fan of adulting! Is anyone? Responsibility can be such a drag can’t it? Anywho, it’s been a productive one. I’ve been really happy with what I’ve produced this week. I realise a few of my poems have been reasonably heavy in content, particularly on the subject of depression and self-hate. I appreciate the few comments of support and concern I received, but I assure you I’m doing alright. Writing about it is really the best way to deal with it. Is anybody else like that?

So, it’s a wednesday which means it’s time for some writing music! Again, there is a theme for todays post. I dropped a clue for it on the social media and I wonder if anybody had any theories!

The theme for todays edition of the Harlequins writing music is horror! Oh yes, probably among my favourite genres of film and reading material. From the shadow of Nosferatu to the dream demon Freddy Krueger! The racing pulse brought on by a tense killer chase or the lingering dread of a unnatural haunting. Many of these things have greatly influenced my writing and even inspiring specific poems (such as Slasher and Horror Icons). It influences a great many music artists as well. Even the most horrific imagery has been used in many artists work, whether it be in the musical construction itself or the use of graphic imagery in music videos or the bands image. I love monsters and true crime, two subjects that many music artists have latched on to in their musical repertoire. So, do you want to hear some? As you can imagine, some of these choices may contain explicit material, for those worried about such things.

Now, join me as we delve into the musical minds of frightful artists the world over!

SKYND – Gary Heidnik
https://skynd-music.com/

Mushroomhead – We Are The Truth
https://mushroomhead.com/

Creature Feature – Buried Alive
http://www.creaturefeaturemusic.com/

Crankdat – Horror Hour
https://www.facebook.com/crankdat/

Ghostemane – Hydrochloride
https://www.ghostemane.com/

And there we have it!

Spooked out enough? I was spoiled for choice if I’m honest; I had ideas such as creepy lullabies, some other electronica, countless metal bands and every painted freak out there. No offence to painted freaks of course, I am one! I just intended to choose a good variance in the genres and artists, because above all, the music is the primary reason. I think these artists show different kinds of horror. Monsters, mad killers and ghosts, oh my! I hope you enjoy my choices and aren’t over-scared by them!

So, how about some freaky social media spiel! The asylum has a presence on Facebook, an account on Instagram and a page on Twitter. Please think about following and liking me on those, it really helps me out! Also, if you enjoy what I do here at the madhouse, please consider supporting me over on the Ko-Fi page! Thanks for everything!

Until next week, have a very crazy day inmates!

The Desert

This desert of existence ranges onwards,
The dunes a maze of decisions,
Scathing to the touch,
My camel became bleached bone eons ago,
I’ve forgotten the sounds of life and flushing leaves,
The only caress from blades of desert wind,

I ache for an oasis of respite,
To rest my fèet upon regal silk,
To wash my hands in something other than grating sand,
Some pure water filled with praise,
A compliment not from a forked tongue,
Before resuming lifes journey,

I see pyramids filled with gold and felicity,
Dancing a slow sway upon the horizon,
The sight galvanises my steps,
Just a handful more miles of bland waste,
Or is it mirages that give me hope?
Has the heat of being gotten to me?

Some writing music: Part 76

Hello there inmates!

I hope you’re all having a wonderful week. Mine has felt extremely productive, which is a very freeing feeling I must say! I’ve gotten the impression that my works this week have been a tad more “hard-hitting” than average. The epitome for me was “Domestic Bliss” which, as may be clear, was derived from real life experience and anguish. I was content with how it came out though and I hope you all enjoyed it.

So, it’s time for the Harlequins writing music! Any of you who happen to follow my social media may have already guessed the theme for todays post from my clue. I hope it wasn’t too obscure. So, the theme of todays music picks is rebellion. What is rebellion? The spirit of freedom and the will to ask questions, even against authority. Criticising your own government is one area that most think of when you hear the term rebel. The determination to be yourself regardless of those cupped whispers. It can be misconstrued as childishness at times I supppose, but that tends to be from people who seek to stand on you. This rebellious spirit has sparked many artists over the years, from punks to anarchists, from anti-establishment types to followers of particular politicos. These can span genres of all kinds and there are no shortages of artists to pick from.

So, let’s see what I have come up with. Do you agree with my ‘lower than layman’ take on rebellion? Or do you think I’m being overly vague? I think I’m still getting the hang of this. So let’s see which five artists we have today eh?

Join me as we delve into the musical minds of rebellious artists the world over!

Rise Against – Hero Of War
https://www.riseagainst.com/

Rage Against The Machine – Killing In The Name
http://www.ratm.com/

The Cranberries- Zombie
https://www.cranberries.com/

Eric Clapton – Stand & Deliver
https://www.ericclapton.com/

System Of The Down – B.Y.O.B.
https://systemofadown.com/splash/

And there we have it for todays edition!

So, how about those choices eh? I’m hoping they displayed some rebellious spirit for you all to enjoy. There were a few others I toyed with choosing, but maybe they’ll appear some other time. I hope you’ve enjoyed my choices and that you check any of these artists if you’re unfamiliar,they all deserve it!

So, lets have some social media spiel! If you want to see clues for my poems and weiting music themes ahead of time, consider liking/following me over there! I have an account on Facebook, an account over on Instagram and last but not least a page on Twitter. Also, if you enjoy what I do here at the asylum, please consider supporting me over at the Ko-fi page! Thanks for everything!

Until next week, have a very crazy day inmates!

World Alive

Spring is come,
I see it in the daffodils legion beside the road,
I feel it on the warmer zephyr,
My ears heed the throng leaving hibernation,
The smell of fresh grass graces my nostrils,
I taste the cordial breeze upon my tongue,
My senses can perceive the shift,

The world comes to life again,
Shaking off the frosty mantle,
Bringing its head above the snow finally,
Taking a long-awaited breath,
Its veins bearing aqua unfrozen once more,
Like an archaic blade reforged,
The world exists anew.

Domestic Bliss

I remember you vividly,
Sitting next to me,
Or were you standing over me?
Holding me perhaps too tight,
A living and breathing possession,
I was your toy soldier,

You showed your feelings openly,
Love letters in dark patches of skin,
Compliments tempered with caveats,
Invisible chains while away,
I believed it was stress or foul mood,
But you were Hyde without Jekyll,

Did we have a good life?
In our love nest of isolation,
An idyllic little boxing ring,
No friends allowed,
Don’t let the spies in,
They can’t see the real us,

It wasn’t all bad,
As you snored,
I breathed a sigh of relief,
When you left for the mines,
I didn’t flee,
Why didn’t I leave?

You said you loved me,
But your closed fists said otherwise,
You claimed to support me,
Then why could I only do wrong?
You didn’t want to hurt me,
Then why do I sustain scars years later?

Lost

When lost in life,
A wilderness of town streets and motorways,
Directionless and addled,
There appears no clear path,
The gravel has given way to bog,
The blue sky grows weary,
Streetlights barely illuminating the way,
And wolves howl in the vicinity,
Roadsigns striving to send you to their jaws,

What do you do?
Do you hold the tools of survival?
Do you seek aid?
Garner information from friends and strangers both,
Do you chart your own path across the map?
Orienteering lifestyle,
Or do you remain perpetually lost?
Languish in the cold and sleet,
Never to see a warm hearth again.

Numbness

I feel no fear,
The frostbite has already set in,
My veins are cold enough,
Lifes blade is already dulled upon my hide,
No further harm can come,
You see I cut my teeth on familial genocide,
Broke teeth and bread beside friends and foes,
Gave cheers and took jeers in myriad rooms,

Life has become numbness,
An insipid pantomime,
So give me your best shot,
Show me what you can do,
Maim me,
Bludgeon me,
Cut me down for all I care,
I will not fear the edges embrace.

Machine-gun Lullaby

Upon this rat-eaten bed I lay my bed,
A mud and barbed wire hovel,
After a long days bloodletting,
The trenches lay heavy with shrapnel and refuse,
Day and light hard to distinguish in the smog,
Bodies alive and not beside one another as brethren,

Rat-a-tat-a-tat,

I carry a small memorial,
The image on this grey photograph feels like an illusion,
A place from a distant fuction,
A home no longer real,
The face has grown indistinct,
The name Elizabeth means nothing to me,

Rat-a-tat-a-tat,

Aside from the distant thumps of artillery,
The only aid to sleep I have is a lullaby of machine-guns,
Repetitive ringing in my head,
Rhythmic melodies of death sent aloft,
In to foreign mens hearts,
A different form of sleep,

Rat-a-tat-a-tat,

I close my eyes,
The gunfire amalgamates with the stench,
A militaristic sedative,
Yet sleep conducts a tactical retreat,
The war goes on,
And the machine-gun continues to sing.

Skyfall

I once cultivated a dream,
Or was it a nightmare?
Of all of us being thrown from the heavens,
Down to a globe-shaped tartarus,
A rapture of a different kind,
Billions of little Lucifers,
Free-willed and vivid meteors,

Free falling in masses,
Our malice and parasitism in tow,
A sky ablaze in tangerine and ruby,
A storm on the horizon,
Were we being punished?
Or was this a punishment for Earth?
Were we the penance?

Some writing music: Part 75

Good day inmates!

I hope everyone is well and keeping safe out there. The world is still a mental place, with new twists and turns daily! It’s like a piece of art that the creator wants to keep changing and simply cannot settle on anything. So I suppose I’m just saying take care and expect the unexpected everyone! The pandemic is still going strong and the worlds other dangers remain in the flanks. There has been a rather high profile murder of a young woman by a police officer here in the UK that has been raising some issues about womens safety on the streets at night. It really has made me think about how different things are for ladies walking alone. It’s scary and it’s sad that not everyone can feel safe out in public.

So, it’s time for another burst of the Harlequins writing music today! As I was saying last week, these posts are going to have a theme from now on. I posted a clue for todays theme on social media a few hours ago. Did anybody get it?

That’s right! Today’s musical theme is the 80s! And what a time for music it was! Slightly before my time, but I like to think my tastes were influenced by it nonetheless. Entire new subcultures and styles were sprouting up and becoming more mainstream. Some artists that we consider greats nowadays were birthed in the crucible of the 80s music scene. David Bowie, The Cure and Prince for a few examples! I’m not necessarily saying that things weren’t great and varied before the 80s, but I feel it’s a decade of variety. So, enough from this musical amateur, do you want to hear the maestros play? Let’s hear five songs and artists that I feel represent the theme of the 80s!

Join me as we delve into the musical minds of the 80s the world over!

The Human League – Love Action (I Believe In Love)
http://thehumanleague.co.uk/

The Specials – Ghost Town
https://www.thespecials.com/

Michael Jackson- Smooth Criminal
http://www.michaeljackson.com/

The Clash – Rock The Casbah
https://www.theclash.com/

The Damned – Eloise
https://www.officialdamned.com/

So there we have it for today!

So, I hope that you enjoy all of these my friends. I could have picked so many other artists instead of these. It was so hard to settle on any of these. There were just too many! So heres hoping I didn’t go for some disappointing choices and these bring you all some nostalgic joy!

So, I best throw out my social media nonsense eh? The asylum has a prescence on Facebook, an account on Instagram and also a Twitter page. It would be so cool of you all to come and like or follow me over there. I post some fun stuff, clues for my poems and now writing music posts. Also, as always, if you enjoy what I do here at the asylum, please consider supporting me over at the Ko-fi page! Cheers my friends!

Until next week, have a very crazy day inmates!