Scarology

Welcome to Scarology

Pass the bragging rights about

For whether in bravery

Or foolery

A story’s lurking there

Horrifying feats to be told

So pick up your trophy

Step up to the mic

And leave no detail out

We want to hear it all

for dVerse

Monsters In the Night

No monsters here says mother bright

Yet I know they come in the night

Creeping forth from the shadows

Down the chimney with their mayhem

Even now I can hear them

My dark and blighted glacial foes

Softly to the front room I sneak

To save us from the danger

When what should I see before my eyes?

Christmas tree blazing and Santa

Brushing himself free of cinders

While reindeer chase blights through the skies

And we sit down for milk and cookies

Safe in the light that Christmas brings

written for dVerse

Saving the Princess

Through starry night the dragon soars

O’er darkened streets and sycamores

While the city sleeps behind locked doors

At the castle the dragon roars

And carries off the princess

Torches now light the way below

The city takes an orange glow

A single archer nocks his bow

But cannot hit the fearsome foe

Escaping into darkness

Night covers their headlong flight

’Til another city comes in sight

The palace windows all alight

Waiting to greet the scaly knight

Who flew to save the princess
And was crowned with gold upon his head

Now she rests in her own bed

Fireworks burst overhead

As the joyous news is spread

The city bathes in brightness

written for dVerse

Broken

Left arm broken

Healing slowly

I’ve just got one goal

I want my arm moving again

So I keep trying

One exercise after another

Wincing sharply

I take a deep breath

And keep going

Despite the pain

Knowing that someday

I’ll be whole again

written for dVerse

Garden Realm

I know a fairy realm

Beneath wisteria blooms

Brushing against the well

Where wishes gleam below

That’s where the fey folk dwell

I know a fairy realm

Where lily pads are boats

Sailing o’er magic springs

Hawthorn twigs for oars and

Petal sails like small wings

I know a fairy realm

Each fey was a garden there

With glowing flowers bright

I simply long to see

That bloom both day and night

I know a fairy realm

I think they know of me

For my garden’s changing

Every passing season

Some mystic plant is growing

I know a fairy realm

My garden’s their realm too

In winter roses bloom

And flowers I can’t name

Scintillate ’neath the moon

Written for dVerse. Pairs with Fairy Garden.

The Knight

When the cockatrices fly forth

Or banshees scream in the north

Causing folk to bolt their doors

Against monsters they abhor

’Tis the cue to call the knight

And watch for that armor bright

Riding tantivy to give aid

However she can with her blade

written for dVerse

Unpalatable Truth

Sweetest poison

White crystals all around

Delectable ice cream

Cakes and pies – obvious to the eyes

And yet this poison

In deceptive foods it hides

These carriers of sugar

Prey on your liver, heart, life’s blood

Can you taste it?

Yes and yet

The populace are slaves

Rise up then!

Claim your health

From sugared fiends

Cast out the culprit from your house

Your plate, and cultural demands

Life is still delightful without the sweet tooth

And fear the night of Halloween

Not for the ghosts and ghouls

But the candy freely given

There’s more tricks than treats in that goody bag!

Written for dVerse in the style of Futurism, which is aggressive, makes use of free verse, and advocates change.

For more information on how sugar impacts your health visit SugarScience, which is run by health scientists from the University of California, San Francisco.

Elegance

I see beauty

Elegant tatted lace

Stops my breath

Demands the skill be mine

First try

Knotted thread; nothing more

Still the vision persists

And so do I

Mentor, tutorials, time

More time

Until that tantalizing beauty

Is mine

Tatting is a form of lace making. It is exquisitely beautiful, but is also one of the trickiest fiber arts to learn.

Written for dVerse.

The Madding Night

Flaming sunset

Paints prim houses ghastly

Ocher, crimson, darkening blood

Specters glide by

Thin sheeted doppelgängers

Passing shuttered windows

Locked tight against the night

Penetrated by banshee cries

Orange glows on every porch

Pumpkin lanterns

Spark to life

Exchanging madding grins

With the ghouls

 


Madding - acting in a frenzied manner.

Merriam-Webster has an interesting article of Halloween words. Some are more specific than you'd think.

Written for dVerse

Homophone Fun

Chic

Around the park take a peek

Dachshund, collie, and a peke

Glossy furred, stand at their peak

How dog shows can interest pique!

Peke is a short form for the Pekingese dog.

Cair Aureate

Air clear and bright this day my only heir

Dear look to the forest where run the deer

Pair by pair under golden hanging pear

Hear finches warble flying there and here

Hares fleet footed dart between maidenhairs

New kittens mewl learning what mothers knew

Bare bone facts for adventures they will bear

Flue warmth; spoken softness; where phoenix flew

Cair Aureate’s wealth all this; soon thy care

Peer well from castle to watery pier

Fair sights and sounds all come with the same fare

Tears or joy come walking its many tiers

Blue skies or gray I bore each way the wind blew

To face each wind stalwart is thy task too

Maidenhair is a kind of fern.

"Cair Aureate" is a Shadow Sonnet. In this sonnet form the first and last word of each line are the same or homophonic. 

Written for dVerse 

Sparkle

Atop the snow capped mountain side

Something shines brighter than the snow

Gleaming; flashing with every stride

A unicorn with brilliant glow!

Hooves of diamonds glistering bright

And sparkling crystal prism horn

Catching and scattering rainbow light

Unicorn dancing in the morn!

Such a scene so scintillating

Will never from memory fade

Yet for a display so blinding

I’ll behold the unicorn with shades

written for dVerse

Facets

I see

Little mouse in the grass clippings

Out of sight of my cat

Or so I think

Soft fur

Gold and shadows printed

With white

Like calico

Shadows and light

Falling through the trees

Gold and gray

Then my cat moves

Purring. Suddenly!

Teeth on my fingers

Claws on my arm

Purr under my hand

On my lap

In my heart

Ferret, hummingbird, goldfinch, snake

My hunter’s trophies

Crystal snow falls deep

Heavy trail – the dog

Light trail – my cat

From house to fence

The top of the fence

Black, with paw space

Enough for walking

Pale tree trunks slashed

Rich brown underneath

Good scratching

Good ladder

My calico cat

Perched in a tree
Green peaches behind
Brown dog below
 
You came to me

Stepped into my heart

So my heart beats

So you live on

written for dVerse

Sea Square

Sea things weathered and washed ashore;

things drifting; smoothed like sandy pearls.

Weathered smoothed until all points gleam.

And like all shells taken home,

washed sandy points taken become treasured.

Ashore pearls gleam. Home; treasured; renewed.

written for dVerse

Reflected

Causeway through the sea runs wide

With glinting water either side

Only thread between pier and castle

Parted by water's glimmering babble

In this fluttering mirror appears

Shadow of the sky austere

Silhouette of a knight riding tantivy

Her armor flashing in the sea

written for dVerse

Paper flight

Fold for me a paper plane

We’ll fly away, just us twain

Lifted on a dulcet strain

I’ll be the pilot and steer us clear

While you behold the sights my dear

The clouds once so far draw near

See the heights we will attain!

We’ll fly over snowy peaks

Dive down with delighted shrieks

With mistrals breaking across our cheeks

Racing against the pearly cranes

Then hie we to the milky river

Past the moon shining silver

There we’ll land for new adventure

Propelled on by a sirin’s refrain

This poem is a Zejel, a Spanish from with the following pattern: aaa, bbba, ccca, ddda and can be continued for as long as one likes.

 

Definitions:

Dulcet -  pleasant to hear

Hie - to go quickly

Mistrals - cold northern winds in France.

Sirin - the Russian version of the Greek sirens. The sirins can be benevolent, which is what I wanted portrayed in the poem.

written for dVerse

Hummingbird

Feathered gem flown out of sight

Then back gleaming in the light

Perhaps the smallest in flight

Yet I’ll meet no bolder knight

written for dVerse

Clerihew

for dVerse

Once there was a princess named Ariel

Who desperately wanted to be terrestrial

It seems that if she’d stayed as a fish

She might have ended up on a dish

Feast

for dVerse

Adobo

I know the recipe now

Peppercorns, soy sauce, and fowl

But then all I knew was this

A bowl of friendship delish!

Halo-Halo

First thought on beans in desert:

Oh no! But now I assert

Milk, nata, bananas, beans

Mixed is better than ice cream

Pandesal

One perfect bread for breakfast

Hot with crumbs across the crust

Feasting starts with bag in hand

Lasts all the way home as planned

 Just a few of the wonderful tasty dishes in the Philippines.

Invitation

for dVerse

The window stands open.

Rustling autumn leaves,

the breeze notices.

Taking the invitation

crosses the desk

where the book opens

and the leaves rustle

an invitation:

Ride with a gallant knight;

Lose yourself in the woods;

Fly though serendipitous clouds.

The book stands open.

Luna

for dVerse                                   

                                     full gibbous glimmer

                                     maiden aunt

                                     watching playful stars

                                     

nieces and nephews    

sitting still                   

only for moon’s stories

                                    

                                     ancient silver tales

                                     of magic

                                     wolves and unicorns

Wish

for dVerse

As the maple leaves fall down from the trees

Tossed and carried by the mellifluous breeze

Wish on each glorious red soaring leaf

And watch your wishes blown with belief

Riding on the russet air sailing boats

Higher and higher in the sky they float

Then plummet like a joyful roller coaster

And pop up again like toast from a toaster

Stand there and watch until the breeze ends

Catch the leaf in hand; see what it portends

Shining red gold like a fairy’s song

Hold it close; gaze at it often and long

Somewhere on that autumn day your wish took flight

Now follow it always into the light

Fern Fairy

for dVerse

River sallies through the emerald valley;

ferns twine and twist in the soft breeze gently.

While white mist shrouds the valley in magic,

fern queen rests in her living green hammock.

Over seeing her realm of fairies, birds

clover, redwoods, bees; entwined with the ferns.

All hers from great tree to tiny sporange,

prowling cats and fishes spotted orange.

Hers to guard and hers to keep and hold sound-

ly. So she keeps her vigil o’er her ground.

At her woven throne her subjects shower

thanks. And with laurel wreaths they endow her;

spider silk, saffron slippers, almond milk,

acorn caps, mustard seeds, and patchwork quilts.

This is their world tucked between the ferns,

and all this is safe beneath her sojourn.

Sporange - A real word that does indeed rhyme with orange. It is a form of sporangium, which is  where spores are produced in plants like ferns.

Harbinger

for dVerse

In the crisp apple air

while the oak leaves still are green

free Summer lingers

though the sweater chill begins

And the leaves reflect gold

though Autumn’s fire

has yet to come

And the sidewalks are not buried

in the rustle, crunch of leaves.

Interrupted

for dVerse

Blackout curtains

Darkness, quiet, peace

Fading remnants of a dream

The hour before I wake

When I drift back to dreams

Until

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Blaring honks!

Jarring, screaming.

An assault upon my senses

Followed by discombobulating light

Dragged from dreams

By my alarm

Question and Answer

for dVerse

Why am I sitting here
when the room isn't warm
and the fire is only
a staircase away
far from my books
first love of my heart?

Listen to the purr
deep and steady
that will not leave my lap
and you will know
why I am sitting here.

Lexicon

for dVerse

song for the dictionary
and thesaurus with words free
like small cavorting faries
luminescent and airy

Blue Geyser

for dVerse

Geyser erupts throwing white on the sky

As if the water turned cloud against the blue

Hangs for a moment and then with a sigh

Falls back to the sapphire from whence it flew

Where indigo ripples bubble anew

Until the last ring fades and all is still

Leaving the heated turbulence tranquil

Revising Dreams

for dVerse

Revised

mellifluous dreams

breath nutmeg

and chirp after me

I will seek for them

heart first

for each honeyed crumb

would you blacken them?

heckle, fleer

caw unasked advice?

it does not matter

for soapsuds

sting but a moment

then breath forth new life

fresh, with the

scent of ironed heat

definitions

mellifluous - sweet, especially referring to a voice

fleer - essentially means sneer, but sounds cooler

Original

I’m a dreamer

Can’t you see?

With golden dreams

Trailing after me.

I’m going to find them

No matter who tries to stomp them

Smear my dreams with dirt

I’ll clean them up

Wash them, dry them, iron them

And make them come to life

 

Dún Aonghasa

for dVerse

cliff above crashing waves: fear

and yet the sight calls me near

down at turquoise waters peer

breath stolen by the drop sheer

This is a Tanaga, a Filipino form of poetry. It has four rhyming lines of seven syllables each.

Dún Aonghasa is a fort on Inishmore in Ireland. A good portion of the fort has fallen into the sea. There is no barrier to stop you from crawling right up to the edge of the cliff and looking over. It's an exhilarating experience!

Framed

for dVerse

self portrait

framed

two eyes but

missing glasses

for eyes aren’t better

framed

two hands

one smile

me

me

one person

thousand tales

folded back and forth

like creases in a walnut

memories, experiences

missing or not

as you look

some things remain

unframed

Deluge

for dVerse

Dripping from the moist sky

Damp spots on the concrete

Drizzles slowly and then

Down in sopping buckets

Drenching and crashing from

Darkened waterlogged clouds

Dropping like ocean waves

Dishwasher

for dVerse

 

Hot water, soapsuds

Cups and plates and bowls

Wrinkled hands and scrubber

But I rebel

At forks and knives and spoons

It’s modern times

Let the dishwasher take them all

But send me half across the globe

Without my dishwasher

Hands do well enough

Even on forks and knives and spoons

The Battle

for dVerse

The bright yolk of the summer sun

Crackles on the frying pan sky

While all the time planning arson

Plotting out the perfect skin fry

Pouring down boiled condiments

Sticky sweat in ample supply

Enough to melt the elements

In every realm it occupies

Yet there are frosty defendants

Offering escape through one door

Where winter has its encampments

With gelid flavors kept in store

Chilled popsicles will save the day

Cold hearts will keep the heat at bay

Gelid - extremely cold

The Kitchen Band

for dVerse

Jingle-clang-jangle!
Old bottles, forks, and spoons on a string
Smiles when the kitchen band assembles

Seen through the mind's telescope
Framed by the window forever
Though the clock whisked the children away

And it's just wind chimes playing for the breeze

Sandcastle

for dVerse

Journey down to the sea

With bucket, spade, and me

Salt breeze catching the kite I carry

Making it a frolicsome fairy

You set me free to play

But are bent over your work

Solving the master equation

How many towers defend against invasion?

Aromas to Remember

for dVerse

Under the scent of the pines

Breathing deep

In the rain washed mountains

With snowmelt around her ankles

That’s not a little girl standing there

Though her hair is wispy

Fine and short

And her playmates whirl around her

No. Haven’t you seen a lost princess?

Running from imagined dangers

More real than the smiling grown-ups

And the smoke that lingers

From the barbeque

Perfuming the campground with hotdogs

And hamburgers

Welcoming a princess and her companions home

With the wafting sugared promise

Of marshmallows and chocolate

Under the camping stars

Sunrise

for dVerse

 

I rose up early

Before dawn

Waiting for the weaver

Plaiting colors

Of butter, coral, mauve

Across the robin’s egg domed sky

Fragile tapestry

Unraveling before day began

Scraps falling down

Catching in thorns

Blooming sweetly

Yet by any other name

Still a rose

Salted Words

for dVerse

spill my words in a shower of salt

tumbling into the tossing ocean below

flavoring the fords with fanciful lays

and sloshing against the slopping hills

where written words season

immerse, marinate and simmer

bubbling over and spilling again

singing with rushing storied steam

The Writer's Lament

for dVerse

O cursed writer’s block

The infuriating force that mocks

Bright-eyed scribbling dreamers

Producing tepid rhymes like femurs

The muse has flown

Leaving me in agonizing moans

Red-eyed grasping for straws

Landing in cliché’s redundant maw

O cursed writer’s block

The maddening force that mocks

Wild-eyed scribbling dreamers

Producing tepid rhymes like lemurs

There’s no way to exorcise it

No pathway to escape it

I’m sinking deep within its bog

My mind lost in a numbing fog

O cursed writer’s block

The exasperating force that mocks

Weeping scribbling dreamers

Producing tepid rhymes like streamers

Memorial Day

for dVerse

Among headstones

Flags flapping, snapping

Red and white and blue

Remembering

Loved ones I knew

Others only stories

And fallen soldiers

Pinwheels spinning

In the breeze

Green and pink and blue

Twirling, swirling

Entrancing a child

Catching me between tears

And a baby’s laugh

Menagerie of Thought

 
The flap of a butterfly’s wing

Small insignificant thing

Sets a million million monkeys typing

And an infinite million more

Causing a single black swan to soar

In a direction never known before

Events and thoughts tumbling round

Across an insubstantial playground

Where the mind lives unbound

Observing the laws of fate

Schrodinger’s cat has found a mate

The Butterfly Effect, Infinite Monkey Theorem, Black Swan Theory, and Schrodinger's Cat are the ideas referenced in this poem.

A Walk Through the Garden

for dVerse

Magic in the garden

growing greens,

gold topped dill strands.

Some giving sweet fragrance

waterfalling wisteria,

waxy moon full gardenias.

Bright cheerful healing herbs

St. John’s-wort,

and soothing, gentle lavender.

Beauty at every sight,

glowing roses,

faint forget-me-nots float fairy-like.

Do not forget,

kiss-me-over-the-garden-gate.



Kiss-me-over-the-garden-gate is a real plant with a name that has always fascinated me. 


 

Tanaga

Steady pen and paper meet

Combining in a grand feat

Leaving behind scenes replete

With magic and wonder sweet

The Tanaga is the Filipino version of the haiku, which is written with four rhyming lines of seven syllables each.

Shared with dVerse.

Mango Market

Some choose mangos by the smell

But the yellow scent of heaven

Is all the same to me

I go by feel; Goldilocks-like

Too firm, too squishy, just right

Weighed out and priced

My pesos for a taste of paradise

Backwards Poem

At long last the kite flies free!

He loosens it from the tree

A ladder fetched and leaned up

Her cries heard by a kind grownup

The girl looks up through the leaves in tears

Higher and higher! 'Til into the tree it steers

Dipping and diving and soaring!

To the park she races clutching the string.

All set up and ready for flight

Down from the shelf comes the glorious kite

Today's poem comes from the NaPoWriMo prompt to write a poem backwards. So if you start at the end of the poem and read it from bottom to top, it will actually make sense.

Purrfect Day

 

A purring cat, a well-worn book

And my hot chocolate standing by

All curled up in a cozy nook

While the rain patters down from the sky

I’m all set up and I’m here to stay

For the cat has deigned to nap in my lap

Who can dream of a better day?

While the rain on the window taps

The book is long and thrilling

The cat and I are turning pages

The coco is hot and steaming

While the wind and the rain outside rages

Who can dream of a better day?

Than I with my cat and cup and book and rain?

Rose Bower

 Within the rose bower

white rosebuds

tinged with pink hang heavy and sweet

swelling every hour

like a flood

more roses than the eye can greet

Titleless

My family's odd I warn my date

He grins, insisting the night will be great

My mom's a witch, my dad's a warlock

My brothers shout curses instead of small talk

My sister keeps her hydra in the hall

He says he can't wait to meet them all

Walking to the door I'm breathing quickly

My sight's blurring and my stomach's prickly

The banshee on the stairs doesn't phase him

Nor the hydra's hundred looks dark and grim

He greets my brothers super politely

And my sister in a way most knightly

When dad slaps his back I lose my worry

We're all laughing when mom makes her entry

He kisses her hand she calls him a dear

Poof! He's on the table a spotted deer

My family feeds him salad, berries, hay

They say that they like him better this way

He's joining in the wild frolicking

I turn away, they're so embarrassing!

Day of Rest

head of every week
Day of Rest
restoring my soul
lay down your toils
cease your work
and sing of Zion
join in fellowship
worship Him
in glad, grateful thanks
on this Day of Rest