Hour 5. Redemption

The faithful sentinels of Lord Vishnu(1) Jaya and Vijaya/
Once when guarding his chamber denied entry to four wise rishis(2)./
Enraged the wise men damned them to human incarnation/

Moved by the repentance of the delinquents/
Rishis offered redemption after seven births as Lord’s servants/
Or after three as monstrous enemies of the Lord.
Devoted as they were to their master they chose to be villains and faster return thereby.

As three sets of villains(3) in three eons did they vigorously oppose Vishnu/
Slayed each time by the very hands of their revered savant/                                          Finally in the dwapara yuga did they return to their abode.

Resplendent after their baptism by fire
Restored to their past glory
Thus were the monsters redeemed.

Notes:

1. Vishnu, one of the Hindu Trinity along with Brahma and Vishnu.

2. Ever youthful sages, Sanaka kumara, Sanatana kumara, Sanandana kumara and Sanat kumara
3.a) Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakasipu in the Satya yuga (eon)
b) Ravana and Kumbakarna in Treta yuga
c) Sishupala and Dantavaktra in Dwapara yuga

Hour 17: CryptidTV Cribs

Hi, my name is [screech cough cough gag]

I am a cryptid

a nocturnal shapeshifter

many think I don’t exist

but, um, hello, hi?

 

Welcome to my cave—

urhm, do you mind taking off your shoes?

Yes! That’s my comic book collection

Have you read this one?

No, I highly recommend their work,

top notch character development

and the illustrations are to die for!

 

Oops [accidently slaps interviewer and knocks over a lamp]

I don’t actually open the wings very often.

Sometimes they just, you know,

spring right open when I get excited or upset—

where are my manners!

Would you like something to drink?

 

It’s been so long since I’ve had company.

[turns on wall torch, sound of running water]

My cavemates do most of the decorating

They’re [whispers] daylight creatures,

I try to keep it down [gestures with one formidable claw]

You like?

The kitchen is just to die for!

[wings spring open, knocks kettle off the stove]

Ugh, I am such a clutz!

 

[sitting down in an armchair for tea and a plate of cookies]

So, ask away! What would you like to learn about me?

You think you can come into this cave

And try to get a rise out of me!

Well, doesn’t that beat all!

It’s always, “Can I see your fangs?”

“Where do you put the bodies?”

“How do you *whispers* ‘do it’?”

[sigh] No one ever asks about my hobbies.

It’s time for you to go. Why?

[stands up to full height, speaks with the booming voice of 100 creatures]

I find you rude, I am suddenly very hungry,

And I just cleaned this carpet.

 

[interviewer leaves a string of apologies on their race to the door]

Score! Papa’s got a new pair of shoes.

 

[Distant cavemate: [SHRIEK COUGH COUGH GAG] Can you please keep it down! Not everybody’s nocturnal]

 

END SCENE

HOUR SEVENTEEN ~ Paperback Pickup Line

PAPERBACK PICKUP LINE

 

“Have you ever thought about what would happen,”

he said, “if a mermaid and a minotaur got together,

and their kids got the human half of each so now they’re just,

some dudes?” She sipped her wine and arched an eyebrow.

 

“Can’t say that I have, no,” she replied cautiously.

 

“Well, me and my brothers. We’re those dudes.”

He did sound matter-of-fact, in spite of the ludicrous

nature of his claim. She smiled to cover a scoff.

 

“So then, what do you all do, with that?” she asked,

sincerely curious, at least to know where this story was going.

 

“We fight crime!” he declared proudly.

 

Later, many years later, she told him that she stayed,

not because she believed him, but because she had to know

how the story ended, not whether or not it was true.

Untitled- Hr.5

The three looked dumbfounded
At the opened doors
Simultaneously running in
Unbeknownst to them
Simultaneously running out
This was the end
At the opened doors
The three looked dumbfounded

00 – A Brief Introduction (Part 2)

Hello!  This is my exceptionally late introductory post, following the discovery a few hours ago that I was able to log in and participate in my second ever 24-Hour Poetry Marathon; my name is Edward Quinlan and I call myself The Begging Poet.  I’m writing from unceded Wet’suwet’en territory in Smithers, BC, and you can find me on Instagram @ctrlaltbksp and @yeetthesystem =) I’m going to do my best to catch up after being way too stuck on the first prompt for too long.  Thanks for checking me out!

Green Eyed Monster, Hour Seventeen

Green Eyed Monster

Medusa was born a mortal beauty, the daughter to two sea gods
and sister to monsters.

Her beauty became her undoing.
An enraptured Poseidon seduced and impregnated her
in Athena’s temple, enraging the virgin goddess,
who then turned Medusa into the most hideous monster of all.

As if that weren’t revenge enough, Athena then gave
the location of Medusa’s island to Perseus,
who cut off her head and used it to turn his enemies to stone.

Freeing Medusa’s head from her body also released
her twin children, Pegasus and Chrysaor, from her neck.
Blood from her severed head dripped onto Lebanon
as Perseus flew with it overhead, dooming it to a plague of snakes.

All this because a mortal woman was just too beautiful.

A Witch’s Tale of Revenge

Once upon a time…

Isn’t that how these tales always begin?
Tales of fay folk, elves, and angels…
Of devils in dark suits void of briefs
for the sake of convenience.

Well, here we go…

Once upon a time
there was a little girl
living in a great big house
filled with beauty.

Mostly her beauty…

And, I speak of mother
not child. Children are more
precious than beautiful…
with a dose of precocious for spice.

But, I digress…

Every man in the kingdom
of freedom wanted the child’s
mother, not for true love, however.
There was a notion about her.

She was a fantasy…

One day, there in the dark
and narrow halls of a
haint white kingdom, a sheriff worse than
Nottingham crossed eyes with the child.

He was evil personified…

Such a sad, bad man, he was
that when the child smiled
he believed she was taunting him,
And so he swore revenge.

He swore to kill the child…

Instead, he did far worse.
Aware of the King’s disdain
for murdering children,
he had someone else do it.

To both of them…

But, like magic, or rather
with the help of the magical
universe, whose control is
absolutely perfect and in tune…

They both came back…

Mother as child, and child,
well, years later when the mother
found a young man with the
same birdthday (spelling intended).

They were all birds…

That is, in the in-between.
That part of life’s cycle where
tomorrow is yesterday, and
bygones pass away…

Eventually…

Mother, knowing her beauty
was at fault, took the beating
as any mother would take
from a monster for her child.

But, there were so many….

Many, many monsters,
both male and female,
young and old alike, aching
to beat up on the Mom.

And so it went….

So it went for 60 years,
until Mama finally got
pissed off enough to shout
“Enough already!”

Do you want to fight?!!!…

Silence. A deafening silence
fell over the land, like water
crashing down from a broken dam
where too much rain fell too soon.

And then it happened…

Her every thought of revenge
came true, because she refused
to give up and marry the
Sheriff’s disgusting son.

That was part of the deal…

Or so he thought, when he
thought he was King. He said,
“You have to marry one of these boys.”
Mama, just a child, didn’t know marry

from soda pop…

“Put a baby in here?” she pointed
to her tiny abdomen.
“I think it’s too small,
after all, I’m a baby.

And babies can’t fit into babies…”

They tried anyway, and tried,
and tried, and tried, having forgotten
the laws of nature and rebirth.
They tried of all ages.

They tried of all times…

So Mama got a revenge of her own.
She said, “Let him live unnaturally long,
let him live in pain and distress.
Let him beg for death.

And so mote it be.”

Meanwhile, the real baby,
far, far away in another world
grew up and met a handsome prince
who took her to France to get married

In a castle!!

The End.

Mesmerized

I put the pen to the paper until it bled

I watched it flow cursive on the paper till it turned red

Taking forms on the surface and subtle meanings beneath

I looked till it became the earth I planted my feet in.

 

Roots digging deeper, visions becoming clearer

Jab the paper some more i thought, now this will make you bigger.

So I stabbed and jabbed, eyes gleaming with excitement

Lo and behold I built a forest enchanted

Kraken (Hour 17)

Once upon a nightly sail
We came upon a mighty whale
Turned out to be kraken
Of the legendary wrath
Whose huge tentacles
Roused deadly waves.
We sang a song
To the squid-like beast
It waved at us
with its many limbs
And swam away calming
the raging storm.

Lust after a world

This is the night without
end this obsession with the
day does not evoke the same
lust after a world that is limitless

Choose to give yourself to the
night without day is your greatest
desire to reject all those who will not
surrender yourself to the night willingly