February Submissions

While I have a great memory on most things, one thing that I suck at is remembering what and where I submit some of my writing and other dark musings. Now, I plan to make a change and actually track stuff. So, for February I made submissions to:

The Horror Press
The World of Myth
The Smoking Poet
Twisted Dreams
Worlds Within - Worlds Beyond

Hopefully, some of the submissions will payoff and I will get some more of my work out there.

Feed Your Hunger

Today the white mist overtook reality

Drowning life with chilling darkness

The red river ran deep

Opening in the center of it all

A heart now aches

A body cannot feel

Yet, the pleasures found in the tainted flesh blossom

As the tears of loneliness build

Waiting to cascade like a waterfall from barren eyes

The heart beckons for warmth

For protection from the unnerving storm that rages, still

For that sweet caress, that soothes every thought

On the inside, it remains whole

The dagger only stole the emptiness held within the bounds

One soul tasting the breaths of many

Longing for freedom from the limits that bind

That prey on the thoughts and feelings of men

Of women whose depths linger long after decay

Where the softness of bodies entwined is a reality

Where the passion felt in every kiss may last forever

Where forever can be held outside a coffer

Eyes wandering through the emptiness of the silk

The loneliness felt inside the scarlet shroud

Hoping to catch just a glimpse of brightness again

It has been far too long since this pain took hold

Since the blade removed the heart

Cry out and profess the feelings of despair

Grasp at the feelings of loss

Feel the surroundings

Feed your hunger

Join us

Fragile

The fragile one rises
Speaking volumes with the silence
Projecting visions into the emptiness
Destroying hope
A lone world out of touch
Lost in the spiraling masses of descent
Two bodies make one
Darkness draws near
Reality cries out
The fragile one screams
Another day ends

Freedom

Looking around, I can feel you near
Your silent touch stroking my heart
Your glowing eyes piercing my mind
What are you?

For so long your splendor has been a mystery

Tempting fate with hints pleasure
With visions of torture
Will I be the next?

How sweet you must taste
The beautiful red cascading down your lips
Satisfaction climbing every peak
When can I feel?

I await your entrance
My eternal staircase fluttering
The echoes in my dreams cannot compare
Who are you?

The darkness falls
Innocence drowning in the scarlet pool
Fading breaths so pure
You are freedom

My First Short Film Script - (The Missing Scene From The Blob)

After eating some of the great Blob cake that Brenda made me for my birthday, I started to think back to Blobfest and the interesting day we spent in Pheonixville, home of the Blob. Last year as part of the the 10th Anniversary Blobfest, they had a short film script-writing contest to offset their short film contest. As a writer it was a challenge to in 500 words or less, create the missing scene from The Blob.

If you are familiar with the movie, this would be about what happened in the bar on Second Street that is talked about in the movie but never shown. In scene 240, Sgt. Burt recounts how he stopped at the Second Street bar while making his rounds, finding no one there. Also, when two of the teens stop in another bar to help rally the town against the monster, the bartender tells them about some excitement at the Second Street bar earlier that night.

While my entry did not win, I held my head high as it was the first screenplay of any type that I finished.
 
Here is the Script:
 
239A. CAMERA PANS PAST HARLEY JOHNSON BEHIND THE BAR AND DOLLIES IN ON MARTY WATSON AND THE  DEER TROPHY HANGING ON THE WALL ABOVE THE JUKEBOX.

TIGHT TWO SHOT MARTY AND THE DEER FAVORING MARTY (IN A JOVIAL MOOD).

MARTY: (TO HARLEY) it’s about time for a hunting trip. I was talking about it earlier at work, some of the guys are heading out this weekend. Buddy up here on the wall could use a friend.

HARLEY: (STOCKING GLASSES BEHIND BAR) Yeah, it has been a while. I remember the trip when we bagged that one.

MARTY: That was a cold one… The wife still reminds me of how sick I got when we came back. I’d readily do it again though; it’s about time to get away.

HARLEY: Same here, though, Ida would just prefer me saying around town, playing bridge or attending the gardening club meetings. Ever since Bobby left for college, it has been the same thing.

MARTY: I miss those trips with Bobby and Joe. What is Bobby up to these days?

HARLEY: Bobby is good, studying medicine, wants to be a doc. He says, everyone gets sick and there is a fortune to be made in medicine. I hope he is right; this education is costing me a fortune. So, give me a big tip tonight (LAUGHS).

MARTY: (STILL LOOKING AT DEER) Sure thing buddy. I wonder if we can get ol’ Joe to join us. I haven’t seen him since he moved up into the hills after his wife was killed on the highway.

HARLEY: Yeah, he took that hard. It has been almost two years now. No one has really seen him. Say… I have Monday off, let’s go up Old North Road, find him and make plans.

MARTY: Sounds great, just like old times.

CAMERA PANS TO THE EDGE OF THE BAR AND SHOWS THE BLOB CREEPING TOWARD HARLEY.

HARLEY: (PLACING WHISKEY BOTTLE ON BAR) I can pick you up around 4… What the… (DROPS BOTTLE – SHATTERS) Marty!

MARTY: (TURING TOWARD BAR) What is going on over there? HARLEY… You there? Harley stop fooling around, you think you are one of those kids? Kids these days, HARLEY!

CAMERA PANS WITH MARTY TOWARD EMPTY BAR WITH SHATTERED BOTTLE ON TOP. SCREAMS CONTINUE TO EMINATE FROM BEHIND.

MARTY: (CAMERA PANS WITH HIM AS HE MOVES TOWARD BROKEN BOTTLE) Harley… You… OK… Harley.

MEDIUM CLOSE SHOT OF CHARLIE AT BAR PEERING OVER TO SEE WHAT IS HAPPENING TO HARLEY.

MARTY: (STARTLED, OVERTAKEN BY FRIGHT) HARLEY! MONSTER! (BACKPEDDLING INTO TABLE) Oh God, what the—M—M--MONSTER!

Panicked and in shock, CAMERA TRUCKS WITH HIM REVEALING CREATURE MOVING OVER BAR TOWARD HIM.

MARTY: (SHAKING AND SCARED) MONSTER! I must Warn everyone, HARLEY! (TURNING AND RUNNING TOWARD DOOR – CAMERA TRUCKS WITH HIM) HELP! Mon--monster--MONSTER!

WIDE ANGLE FROM BAR UP STREET TOWARDS STOPLIGHT FOLLOWING MARTY AS HE IS RUNNING AWAY.

MARTY: (RUNNING, LOOKING OVER HIS SHOULDER BACK TOWARD BAR) MONSTER! HELP ME! NO… Dead, Harley’s dead… Mon--monster--MONSTER!

Spiral Outtakes From Beyond

When my day is over

No tear will grace my eyes

No blade will grace my hands

The desolate haze will form again

Visions of beauty giving way to darkness

To the dim corridors echoing in my mind

Another pill at hand

My random heartbeat sustained

Understanding at last, meanings long forgotten

The moments that shaped forever

The small circle is my savior

Opening doorways to the unknown

Spiral outtakes from beyond

Gray monsters exit the gates

Sanguine rain flowing down the thighs

I struggle to separate realities

Afraid to face the creatures

Petrified to taste the blood

Will the grand sea open to swallow my desolate despair?

Angels fill the voids with laughter

A demonic presence only meant to confuse

An ideal intended for the weak

Their pain permits eternal pleasure

Like the thunder upon the mount

Or the cross to the left

Their anguish pacifying the illicit cravings of the flesh

Their needle etching my veins

Their whips enticing the lost

The throne of light lay ahead

Unborn temptations entering the soul

My tomb waits

My coffin stands

My day begins

First Batch of Jersey Devil Bottles Complete and Available.

With all of the snow that has been blanketing us here in New Jersey, I was able to complete the first three Jersey Devil bottles. While, these differ from the prototype that made a frame to display my poem, The Devil Endures, they all have something different and unique in their make-up.  To me, these bottles, collected during a NJ Devil hunt in November 2009, are now a great token to remind people of what lurks in the Pine Barrons.

The first bottle completed is decorated by liquid latex and has a horse-like or Baphomet-like head. The quote, "An unwanted son, Waiting quietly to pierce the darkness, Surviving to fracture the boundaries of reality, The cloven hooves, The chilling howl, Echoes of time not forgotten," from the poem The Devil Endures lines the front.

The second bottle created has a rockabilly-like feel  and has a rendition of the classic Jersey Devil picture on  the fron with the famed quote from Mrs. Leeds, "If I have a 13th child, may it be the devil," one the back.

The final bottle completed today is a bit different with the addition of wings to a more human-like facial structure. On the front, the quote, "Every night he struggles with the loneliness, His mind wandering the pathways that will be, Hoping to find the love of a mother lost, Or a life never shared, His torment, in this world we now share, Within the reeds he calls home, Myth or legend, Devil or angel, Forever he will survive, A lone link to days of yore, A dark shadow in the fabric of the whispering pines, Following his golden spiral of life," from the poem The Devil Endures on the front.

These one-of-a-kind statues will soon be available for $10.00 (plus shipping) at the Scarlet Circus page on Etsy or by emailing me.

Elisabeth to be published in Whispering Spirits

Just found out that my poem Elisabeth, loosely based on the haunting at the Green Lady Cemetery has been picked up for publication in the April Issue of Whispering Spirits.

We Are All

The great archfiend spoke

Today we begin a new path

A new world

Not for the ordinary

Not for the plain

But, for the chosen ones

Outcasts to some

Feared by all

I am your guide on this sacred journey

Anno Satanas has begun

Lord of light

Lead us through the trying times

Open your gates

We are ready to receive you

Before the idols we stand

Preparing for communion

Holding the dreams

Vision

Desires

That makes us your disciples

Together we unite

To thrust the meek into the great chasm

Leaders of the new generation of intolerance

Respected in our communities

Yet, imposing to the masses

We speak of realities

Unlike the blind populace

We follow truths

Not the archaic ramblings of the fabricated messiah

We are all

Light of Day (From the Zombie Epic)

Safe at last

At least for the moment

I am not sure for how long

Or what we are up against

Yet, the sanctity of this place sooths me

Drowning the ghastly visions from my mind

The house is dark

Hopefully, it remains secure

Only four of us survive

Natalie failed to make it

Her body defiled by the fowl demons that hunt us

I remember the anguish in her eyes as she fell

An anguish that turned to terror as they penetrated her voids

The blood only seemed to invigorate them

That and the oozing grey

Are we the only ones?

We can’t be

Somewhere, someone else must be alive

What could have caused the horrific torture?

Created these maggot infested fiends

The hands on the clock grow weary

We can only last a little longer

Our ammunition disappears with every passing second

Luckily, we found their fatal flaw

Ironic that their cravings mirror their demise

Hurry board the windows

I can hear them in the distance

Their moans pierce the stillness of our surroundings

Coming forth to exact their revenge

To feast on our souls

To prey on our minds

The shots continue to ring through

Only eight bullets remain

There must be another way to stop them

Scurry to the basement

They cannot reach us there

Can they?

We must not panic, the silence is our friend

Our only hope if we wish to survive this nightmare

To again see the light of day

The Faithful

The faithful stand tall waiting for your arrival
Even though their past sacrifices have only delivered misery
Their pilgrimage for naught
Subtle mysteries of collapse line the great hall
Their chosen despised
Immortality out of reach
Another season has passed
Another attempt at hand
Will this be the one?
The minions march to the cathedral has begun
Their rhythmic chants echoing through the sky
Filling the corridors with despair
The sacrificial lamb is here
Her beauty unmatched
Her destiny unknown
Candles burn upon the altar illuminating every curve
Reflecting every bead
Rivers of sweat stream down her back
Shallow sounds of pleasure crack the haze
The black prince one with the light
Shadowy outlines tease the senses
Tenderness felt in their movements
Cries of her pain drown the flames
Her fervor apparent
The implements are in place
Golden chalices catch the blood
Screams pierce the soul
The dagger runs deep severing the cord
Anticipation builds among the mass
Salvation from her flesh
Her agony defining prophecy
Alas a savior?
Solemn tears grace the Madonna
The wounds of stigmata appear on the devious
Torment laughs
Failure reigns

Arise

Alone in my room

My dreams, my wilderness

An ongoing battle with the unknown

Stalking my every move

Do you want to see?

Arise, from this hallowed ground

Take on the world

Devils and Demons

Men and Women

Boys and Girls

Searching for the truth

Feel my hunger

That illicit craving for flesh

For blood

For life

The hunger grows

You try to pull out

You are stuck

Caught up in a fight for your life

With yourself, with your demons

I can only watch

As the night grows darker

You see a dim light

Your paradise at hand

Lives flash

Bodies connect

Together at last

The pain, the ecstasy

A forbidden communion

My darkest desire

My minds close

Should Have

I remember standing above you

Playing witness to your pain

How could you endure?

The misery frozen in your eyes

Beautiful daggers of despair that haunt me still

The tranquility of the night echoes within me

A surreal nightmare that will never end

My heart cries out when I am alone

Yet, I must silence the anguish

Our secret must remain safe

Or your sacrifice will be for naught

At times, the remorse challenges my resolve

Slicing through my soul

Filling my void with darkness

An unexplainable emptiness that wears on my façade

Shredding the fabric of what was

Destroying what could have been

Or sadly, should have been

The images remain so vivid

A spiraling visage of my hopelessness

The knife sliding across your throat

The river of sadness that flowed from your veins

The lone tear drying on your pale skin

Although I am older now, my tears will never dry

Just as my life will never be the same

Our love was my foundation

Shaping all that I was

Who I am

What I have become

Deep inside the turmoil rages

Surrounded by my penitence and sorrow

I am lost without you, without your touch

I often wonder if you will forgive me when we meet again

Why was it my hand on the knife?

Why was I afraid of the pain?

Questions that remain a just punishment for my failure

A life sentence of desolation

My hurt for knowing I should have joined you

Forever in the Ashes

Through the dying moonlight he appears

Secret no more

Death shudders

The gates will open at six

A pilgrimage awaits acceptance

Their paths unknown, their crimes unforgiven

Except for her

The pale, naked beauty in front

Entrancing the mass

Angering the gods

Her crimes meaningless to the righteous

Their self deceit blinding them of the genius

Soon, redemption will show the way

The embers are lighted

Her stake stands erect

From the darkness, an angel appeared

Tormenting the siren with flames of Dante

Repent

Repent and be saved

The gathering tightens the noose

Impales her upon the altar

Gazing across the horizon, she cries out

The flames caressing her subtle breast

Her soul alive again

At last, the baptism is complete

The contract etched in stone

Marking forever with her ashes

The congregation falls silent

The lord of darkness shares his embrace

Welcoming one and all into his kingdom

Their sacrifice was just

His cravings fulfilled

Lost

The unknown regions of love

The helpless feelings of life

My desolate heart cries out

Desires

Trust

Passages of unknown meaning

I am helpless

I come

I run

I hide

Slowly time crawls

Alone in the abyss I wonder

Trapped in solitude

You fill my head with love

Desires

Trust

I reach for you

The pain of reality takes hold

Misunderstood

Look Around

Feel the unsettling persona?

Hopeless

Fear surrounds me

Can you hear the clock?

I can

Tick-tock, tick-tock

The pulse of the unknown

What is out there?

Or is it in my head

The pain covers everything

Trembling

You’re gone

I am alone again

Who am I?

A bitter taste touches my lips

A hand takes my sight

I can’t move

Screams fill the air

Can you hear me?

Gone

The darkness is here

I am lost