Flash Stories & Poetry Day 48: Quatrain "Tempted by Forces Dark"

 

Hey, everyone.

So, as usual for this week, I'm starting on this super late. That's what happens when you have a lot to do on a Saturday and forget to set your alarm clock. Anyway, today I'm supposed to write a quatrain, but I have no idea what the hell to write about. I don't feel depressed anymore, but I'm still definitely anxious and still worried about my financial situation. To be honest, I kind of don't want this poem to be about anything. I kind of just want to throw up nice sounding gibberish and see if it gets me anywhere. I'll still try to keep it as a quatrain though.

Thirty minutes on the clock: 30:00. And... go.

Midway through the journey of life, I found
Myself in a dark forest for the clear
Path had been lost. To this fate I am bound,
Trapped within the darkness and my own fear.

Though there is meaning in the life I live,
I have lost meaning in my life's purpose;
Much of my life I wish I could relive,
Though that would mean losing my corpus.

If I was born to write, why am I tried,
Tested and judged for choosing to write?
For choosing poverty, I have no bride,
And many consider my life a blight.

Heeding the advice of others has misled me,
And now my debts and desires are at odds;
That which I desire most is to be free,
But I cannot when I am driven by rods.

I pray to be delivered, but I am not,
Why pray if my pleas are not accepted?
Should I seek relief from those I am fraught?
By those dark powers, I am tempted.

Wherefore should I suffer and struggle?
What will it cost me? Naught but my soul.
If that is the case, what should I smuggle?
Whom should I rob, cozen, and cajole?

Oncet say a friend to me, today is better
Than whatever fetter ten years ago;
Though today I possess many letters,
My life is not a desirable show.

***

 

Well, much like my mood, this poem is contemptible. I mean, I feel kind of... blah, so while there is some bleak stuff in there, the delivery is all wrong. Some words straight up suck, the phrasing is bad, and the time gets lost a lot. I'm not sure what to blame it on. Though I can't seem to escape these torturous, self-pitying poems, when I'm tired and not feeling "it," I can't help writing bleak poetry. It just happens. As for the first line, yes, I stole that from Dante's Inferno--I thought it might give me a start, and, it did, but not the start I really wanted. I also think ten syllables is too much for any poem that isn't a sonnet. Quatrains should probably be much shorter. Oh well.

 

(What's also unfortunate is I just thought of the boffo title for this piece, "Tempted by Forces Dark." That's a lovely bit of poetry. That would make a stupendous poem. I'm going to hold onto that for later.)

 

That's it for today. If you have the time, please check out my books for sale on Amazon which you can find through my author page. The link is below. Also, I reworked my Patreon page, so why not give it a look and consider becoming my patron. I would appreciate it.

Keep writing, my friends.

More About Bryan C. Laesch:

My Works:

Amazon: My Author Page, My Influencer Page
Facebook: Bryan C. Laesch, Bawdy Scholar
Patreon: Bryan C. Laesch
Twitter: BryanofallTrade
Youtube: Bryan C. Laesch, Bawdy Scholar

Flash Stories & Poetry Day 32: Quatrain "Undone"

 

Hey, everyone.

So, things for me not going well. I've got some serious money problems and those who I thought I could count on don't seem to be there. I'm sure I'll survive, but it's going to be damn uncomfortable for a while. Another problem is that I haven't been getting enough sleep, so my mood is doubly troubled. So, you should expect some morose poetry today. As they say though, art from adversity.

Wheel of Genres, turn, turn, turn! Tell me the genre I will discern!





Today's style is... Quatrain.

Well, I've done quatrains before so this shouldn't be too hard. I thought about doing a four stanza quatrain, but I know I have a problem with word limits, so it would probably be more challenging for me to write a simple quatrain. So, let's do that.

Thirty minutes on the clock: 30:00. And... go.

Behold a man undone by his Desire
Now Enemy to his greatest Passions;
For him the nearest Hour is the most dire,
And he implores Holiest Compassion.

***

 

Stop the clock. 17:59 left. That actually took longer than I thought it would. I tried to fit everything iambic pentameter which was a challenge unto itself, and then one or two of the lines just didn't sound right. But still, a decent poem in less than 15 minutes. That poetry book is looking like a better idea every minute.

 

But anyway, that's it for today. If you want to use the wheel I made, you should be able to access it here. And if you have the time, please check out my books for sale on Amazon which you can find through my author page. The link is below. Also, I reworked my Patreon page, so why not give it a look and consider becoming my patron. I would appreciate it.

Keep writing, my friends.

More About Bryan C. Laesch:

My Works:

Amazon: My Author Page, My Influencer Page
Facebook: Bryan C. Laesch, Bawdy Scholar
Patreon: Bryan C. Laesch
Twitter: BryanofallTrade
Youtube: Bryan C. Laesch, Bawdy Scholar

Flash Stories & Poetry Day 1: Lyric "Debt"

Hey, everyone.

Today is the first day I begin my flash story and poetry challenge/discipline. The rules are simple: using a website called "Wheel Decide," I created a writing genres wheel full of fiction and non-fiction genres along with poetry styles. I give the sucker a spin, and whatever it lands on, I have thirty minutes to write something within the boundaries of that genre. I have 27 unique genres on the wheel at this time and I'm not against adding more. For those times I get something like "poetry--villanelle" or "poetry--narrative," I will stop where I'm supposed to and continue the poem another day. Hopefully, it ends up being a day where that topic again. Alright, let's begin.

Wheel of genres, turn, turn, turn! Tell me the genre I should discern!





Today's Topic is... Poetry--Lyric. And according to Wikipedia, a lyric is a "formal type of poetry which expresses personal emotions or feelings, typically spoken in the first person." Alright, let's give this a-go. Thirty minutes on the clock: 30:00. And... go!

I drown in waters deep,
They turn me into a creep;
For waters they are none,
But rather a risk of my fun.
These waters may be my own tears,
For I cannot hold back my fears;
For where I drown is personal debt,
The coined conditions haven't been met.

Fool was I to seek a degree,
Naught but words on leaf from tree;
Guidance was I lacking,
My true path took the sacking;
"Go to college and t'will be right,"
Now I find myself in dire plight.
I am not by the world forsaken,
T'was my reason that was shaken.

Lo Uncle Sam is a patient collector,
To no other man would I want to be debtor;
Nay, community banks are worse,
Money monthly due is the curse.
But lo, this burden not so heavy,
I feel no brunt of levy;
What hath done me in
Was my own hubris and sin.

Dealt with the Devil did I
Sticking my thumbs into hemlock pie;
Sweet words and easy work
Answered my greediest quirks.
A thousand lost in a week,
Now I mewl like the meek;
Begging God for pardon and peace
To bring my burden to a cease.

Justice will find the cur who wronged me so,
And his soul be slaughtered like a doe;
Cursed am I to find suitable labor,
Wherein Benjamins will call me neighbor.

Stop the clock! Seven minutes yet to go, but I really don't think I can write any more. I wanted that last quatrain to go ABAB, but who knows how long that would've taken or even if it would've been as "satisfying" an ending as what I wrote. To be honest, this was a little difficult to write because it is all true. I mean, I simplified the issue a bit, but for the most part, it is true. What lessons can be learned from this poem: 1. Don't go to college, 2. Don't take out a loan you can't pay back, and 3. Don't believe ads on Craigslist promising to pay you for posting ads.

But what can I learn from writing the poem? Well, it took me less than 30 minutes to write a decent poem in full. Perhaps if I enforced a time constraint on all my writing I could write a hell of a lot more. And it would help me gauge my time overall.

But anyway, that's it for today. If you want to use the wheel I made, you should be able to access it here. And if you have the time, please check out my books for sale on Amazon which you can find through my author page. The link is below. See you tomorrow.

Keep writing, my friends.

More About Bryan C. Laesch:
Amazon: My Author Page, My Influencer Page
Facebook: Bryan C. Laesch, Bawdy Scholar
Patreon: Bryan C. Laesch
Twitter: BryanofallTrade
Youtube: Bryan C. Laesch, Bawdy Scholar