I Know A Place…

Prompt #3: Write about abandoned houses.
When I think on this prompt, I come up with a lot of things. I have pages and pages of poems and lyrics about this sort of topic…a sort of place within oneself to hide the darkest truths and secrets. I see a haunted house on a hill, not to be confused with the movie, {which was good}, but rather…the book, which for the life of me I cannot remember the name of.
…Mom, if you’re reading this, I know you know the book I’m talking about. I inherited it from you…I think it was published in the ’70s or ’80s, and it has a blue cover with a house on a hill and a yellow moon in the background…You probably even have it in one of my book boxes?
I think of a place that holds secrets long forgotten or buried and left behind by those responsible. I think of a place where one may lock their inner child, to forever forget the innocence and joy of being free. I think of Within Temptation’s song ‘Memories‘, in compilation with several of their other songs, especially as far as the videos play out. I think of dark, scary things buried together with fantastic, beautiful things long forgotten and shelved away for fear of their exposure. To what…I don’t know.
But enough of that…I’ve blathered on long enough and you probably think I’m nuts by now.

…If you already don’t, that is.

I Know A Place
By: Elizabeth Henry
I know a place to kill the pain
I know; I’ve been her before
I know a place to hide the shame
I know, I know {So much more…}
On this long unruly road
A familiar path, once abandoned
Leads me to a faint glow,
To a place long ago stranded
I know, I know
As I open the door to a past hidden
Within the depths of my soul
These memories, forbidden
Will they make me whole, again?
I know a place of your abandon
Upon a hill of bleeding roses
Where all your dreams have been branded
And all fate has been composed
I know how to paint your gray skies blue
I know; I’ve done it before
To heal the pain you’ve put me through
As I lay dying on the floor
I know, I know a place in your mind
Where these shadows become silhouettes
And you’re still inclined {to believe in me…}
To play this dangerous roulette
And you’re still blind
To this haunted house
And you’ve resigned I know, I know
To set it afire and douse me in this guise
And I know a place, oh it’s not fair, where
Again, you’ve given me to my demise!

I’m not pleased with the ending here, but if I didn’t stop where I did, I’d only end up trying to continue describing this ‘abandoned house’. My intent had originally been to describe an abandoned house through imagery, but I just kept writing with a different theme, haha. I dunno, I kinda like it…What do you think?
Constructive criticism please! I’m kind of nervous about displaying this poem for you guys to read, but…gotta start somewhere, right? Hopefully you like it.

Question Of The Blog:
What does an abandoned house mean to you? Do you think of scary movies, a metaphor for emotions, or perhaps what a person hides? {Whether good or bad…as in, it doesn’t have to mean a person hiding a horrible secret…but like I said: perhaps a dream or wish…or maybe an escape?}  Are there any abandoned houses near your neighborhood?
My parents and I used to live near a local park, where there was an old abandoned firehouse. I remember that building used to put me in awe…I always wanted to explore it, and find out what ‘secrets’ it held…or just why it looked so…gloomy. It also had a broken window in the back, that I thought looked eerily similar to the shape of a fireman, but I knew it had no relevance at all. We did go through it once with an open house…and I can’t remember it too well.
So, write on! Let me know what you think. 🙂

A woman named…

Good news guys!
I found a writing prompt book I had been given a few birthdays ago, and I have decided to use that instead of the website I found. The reason being that the website’s prompts have not been updated since the last time I used it years ago, and I don’t like the format they use. {I can’t even copy/paste the prompts for easier reference while writing.}

Rules are going to change slightly here. I am not going to go in order, especially since I decided to start this blog days after the first of the year, and it just mixes things up a bit for entertainment! Also, while I was typing up the prompts for easier reference, I came across a few suggestions I don’t really like, but we’ll see how that goes…after all, I have a whole year to decide!

Prompt #2: A woman named __
If I could be bothered, I could come up with several different concepts here…but, we’re going to settle for the first response that popped into my head when I read this prompt:
Lady Madonna by the Beatles, and
Where The Wild Roses Grow by Nick Cave, and covered by Kamelot

Let’s start off with the classic most people will be able to recognize…

When I first heard this song, I imagined the video concept along the lines of classical comedy {think Three Stooges, in accordance with the beat…don’t ask…I’ve never even seen the Three Stooges, but it just makes me think of that stuff} mixed with the more somber note of the lyrics.
I saw black and white…a woman pictured with her children who were being mischievous while she was trying to hold things together. I saw different scenes of this woman interacting with men {not to go as far as the bed scenes, of course…let’s keep it PG here} in different scenarios, perhaps marking each day of a calender with ‘flashbacks’ of these interactions. Or, even with her ‘chasing’ after these various clients, trying to search for a proper father figure whilst caught in the midst of her job. At one point I even imagined a more adult version of the Old Woman Who Lived In A Shoe…The main theme that stuck with me was the calendar concept.
I love how the Beatles combined great imagery and upbeat lyrics and music with somber, serious themes. You can’t help but get a feel for each character and understand their hardships. I don’t know about you, but as a child these lyrics made me want to change the world. Especially Eleanor Rigby…How sad.

Unfortunately as I searched Youtube for the original version of this song, it appears EMI has blocked Youtube’s rights to play it. I can’t even find a video with just the lyrics.
I love the original video {though, Nick’s voice kind of disturbs me…great for the song’s theme, but not so much for my listening pleasure}. It depicts Nick and Kylie in a meadow, while they sing out Kylie’s sad demise. Though the video doesn’t go in-depth to show Nick’s growing fascination, I absolutely love the concept. As the song progresses, you watch as Nick lovingly caresses Kylie’s corpse, explaining that he was so overwhelmed by her beauty that he couldn’t bare to see her age. So Nick decides to woo Kylie, and like a ‘lamb to the slaughter’ entices her to a trip down to a river, where roses as beautiful as she grow in abundance. While Kylie admires the flowers, Nick kills her, and sends her to her resting place in the river. According to Wikipedia, this video is influenced by Ophelia; a painting inspired by Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet‘.
I love Kamelot’s cover of this song, because though Roy Khan doesn’t have the same disturbing vocals that Nick used, it is still just as beautifully haunting. And for Nick’s producers to envision a video based off a classical theme is totally awesome, and only adds to the enchantment.

Music like these two songs inspire me. I love dark themes, especially with some sort of classical theme involved, as I mentioned. Kamelot even made two albums based off Goethe’s Faust, which only inspired me to read the book. {I haven’t yet…but it’s on my Nook, waiting to be read…well…after I get through Dante’s Inferno, that is…which I was inspired to read after watching Anthony play through the video game.}
Not only do songs like Lady Madonna, Eleanor Rigby, Where The Wild Roses Grow, and other works along those lines inspire me, they make me think, and the imagery/concepts involve help fuel my own creativity.

Question of the blog:
What music inspires you?
What do you think of, when you hear the prompt ‘A woman named __’? Does it involve music? Someone or something from your childhood?

Spider Cat, Spider Cat…Does whatever a cat does…

All that cuteness can’t come cheap.
I swear when I look at my cats I know they’re plotting our doom. At least, Mika {Mee-kah} is. Mika is the type that you just know is thinking up some kind of torture. I mean, what cat wakes you up at 4a to be fed, only to weave through your legs as you attempt to get to his bowl? What kind of cat avoids you at all costs, hidden somewhere in the apartment you’ve torn apart 20 times searching for him, only to randomly playfully attack you out of nowhere, or stare at you for like 5 minutes straight?
Max on the other hand…he’s more innocent. Or at least, that is his front. Everybody loves him…he is a literal ‘chick magnet’, as well as the topic of today’s prompt:

Prompt #1: Close your eyes briefly. Think of one object in the room and focus on it. Without opening your eyes, recall as much detail as you can. After about 3 minutes, write about the object without looking at it.
Max is an orange and yellow striped tabby who came to us from a breeder nearly 6 years ago, as a playmate for his brother; Mika. Don’t be fooled by his pretty coat; he is a furry cat, and it. Gets. On. Everything. His birthday is June 6th, the result of a promiscuous feline who loved the outdoors, and inherently passed the trait onto her offspring. {Though we insist he stays inside.}

Unlike Mika – who for the most part figured out how to open doors if they are slightly cracked – Max learned how to open the trash can operated by a button on the lid. He likes to get into everything, and by that I mean everything. Plastic bags are okay, but Max much prefers little pieces of plastic he can chew on, if his humans are caught unwary. However on this same note, Max refuses to eat the creepy-crawlies he chases after, preferring instead to pick them up in his mouth and throw them back on the ground, watching with rapt attention.

He has big gold eyes that remind me of Puss In Boots from Shrek, and any little movement captures his attention, which is a pain in the neck especially when trying to tie my work apron. Though he has to be the center of attention, and unfortunately suffers from separation anxiety {that is, unless I am the one leaving the apartment} he will gladly settle under the covers with you at night. And if you’re trying to sleep when he’s not ready for bed – forget ahbaht it! He will continuously headbutt you until he gets his ears scratched, and push his paws in your face when trying to get comfortable.

He loves to sit in your lap, and get in your way if he has the chance. Silent {unless you have a bowl of food ready for him} but playful, the only toy he avoids is one that lights up and chirps when it is thrown. Max loves to climb, and found a way to define Ceiling Cat. He also loves sunspots, sleeping on heaters, and purring loudly.

I know that I have a few structural issues with this post- as in run-ons and POVs, but that aside {since I’m not fixing it},  here’s the Question of the Blog:
Do you have pets? Are they anything like Ceiling- or Doom-Cat? Describe them to me {even if I already know about your pets}. OR, you can pick your own, actual object as requested in the blog. Or person. Describe the person sitting next to you, even if it happens to be that smelly creep who either has lazy-eye or a death wish sitting next to you at the library/bus stop.