A Dark and Stormy Blog Chain

It's Blog Chain time again! This time the lovely Christine decided to get our creative gears rolling. Here is her topic:

Since we are all writer's, I thought it was about time for us to stretch our creative muscles and do a little writing. So, take the following topic and go crazy! Show us what you've got. 

Your story can be as long or as short as you choice. 

The topic: A dark and stormy night.

Okay...since I have incredibly lax on doing anything poetry related lately, I decided to do a sestina. (For those who don't know what that is, a sestina is a poem that has six 6 line stanzas and an envoi. The ending words in each line of each stanza follow a specific repeating pattern and the three line envoi uses all six words (usually two words per line) The lines usually contain 10 syllables each. ) :)

Anyhow...I've been really sick this week and with the flooding out in my neck of the woods the kids have been home from school all week. So...I'm definitely not bringing my A game LOL But...here you go:

****

We are hidden in the dark, moonless night.
I welcome the rain as it strikes my face,
cool drops washing away my tears, my blood.
“Breathe,” he pleads, his lips brushing mine. “Please breathe.”
I shudder, my breath escaping at his
command. “For you,” I sigh, “only for you.”

He holds me. “I won’t let them reclaim you.”
Shouts roll with the thunder through the night.
Only one life matters to me now. His.
“You must leave me.” The horror on his face
breaks my heart, but he must run. “Go,” I breathe.
They can’t find him with me, covered in blood -

Mine, his…theirs. His pained howl rips through my blood,
burns his image on my soul. “I love you,”
I whisper, shattered, unwilling to breathe,
unable to stop. They’re coming, the night
rife with vengeance. Once more I touch his face.
“Go!” I cry. One last look and he runs, his

tortured fury echoing through me, his
pain my own. They come, find me bathed in blood.
“Where is he?” they ask. But I turn my face.
They lift me. “Your father’s waiting for you.”
Others fan out, searching into the night.
They won’t find him. He’s gone…and I can’t breathe.

They carry me through dark forests. I breathe
grudgingly, praying the storm hides him, his
trail. My father’s fortress looms in the night
and too soon I am before him. My blood
freezes. “Thought you could run from me, did you?”
His drawn sword scrapes across my face.

They drag in my love; blood drains from my face.
Our eyes lock and I forget how to breathe.
Father’s rage unleashes. “Traitors! Both of you!”
The sword strikes, but my eyes never leave his.
Father screams, his vengeance soaked in our blood.
He fades. I see only my love, my knight.

“I love you,” we whisper. He strokes my face.
Our blood mingles, our lives entwine, mine and his.
The night is ours. And one last time…we breathe.

****

There are some really great entries on this chain, so I'd highly recommend starting from the beginning with Christine's post. Our fabulous new member PK posted before me, and another awesome new member, Tere, will post tomorrow.

WIP Wednesday and a Little Poetry

Well, now that the non-fiction is safely in the hands of my editor, I've been focusing on my fiction life. Apparently, I've been spending too much time on the non-fiction, because once I opened that fiction door, a whole mess of chaos flooded through.

I am currently working on two new novels, one a YA historical and one a YA fantasy (I think...it starts in the past, ends up in the present, but contains some magic, which is usually the deciding factor for me when it comes to paranormal vs fantasy).

I am also revising my last novel, finally. And just for kicks, have been working here and there on a novel in verse (written entirely in sestinas and villanelles). And believe it or not, I'm actually managing to make good progress on all four projects.

I have no doubt about my abilities to keep this up - I'm going to have to focus on just one (maybe two) projects at some point. But for the moment, I'm having a fiction blast.

I thought I'd post one of the sestinas from the verse novel. (A sestina is a 39 line poem that repeats the same six ending words in a particular pattern. You'll notice every line in this poem ends with the words: hands, touch, blood, breathe, his, you - in a specific order. The last three lines each contain two of the six words).

For those of you who have been with me a while, this novel is based on the sestina I posted a long while ago about the group of men who are wolves during the day and men at night. This is a continuation of that story. (Click HERE to read the first poem)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He holds my face so tenderly, in hands
that had just killed. For me. Fingers gently touch
my cheeks. His lips kiss away my tears, my blood.
“Breathe,” his whispers. His lips brush mine. “Just breathe.”
I shudder, my breath escaping at his
command. “For you,” I sigh, “only for you.”

Howls fill the night air. “They can’t find you
with me. Go!” He freezes, his eyes on our hands,
clasped between pounding hearts. The horror on his
face mirrors that on my own. One last touch,
A quick caress. He wavers. “Go,” I breathe.
He steps back, back, raised hand stained with dark blood.

Mine, his, theirs. His pained howl rips through my blood,
burning his image on my soul. “For you,”
I whisper again, unwilling to breathe,
unable to stop. They’ll come for me, hands
grasping, to return me to our master’s hands.
“Go!” I plead. One last look and he runs, his

tortured fury echoing through me, his
pain my own. They come, see me bathed in blood.
“Who did this?” they ask. I shrink from their touch.
Gently they lift me, murmuring “Let us help you.”
I swallow my protests, settle into their furred hands.
They don’t suspect. He’s gone…and I can’t breathe.

They carry me through dark forests. I breathe,
praying they are distracted and miss his
scent on me. We reach the entrance. Their hands
quickly roll aside the stone door. My blood
drips, drips to the floor. “What happened to you?”
they ask again. I wince with every touch.

I bite my lip, wanting only his touch.
Cleaned up, many wounds left open to breathe,
they wait for answers. “Who did this to you?”
Impatiently now. Then they turn and his
face comes into view, already healed, blood
gone. “Jarek,” they say, bowing. Jaw clenched, hands

fisted, hands aching like mine for one touch.
“Who spills your blood?” he growls. I don’t dare breathe.
Face cold, closed, his anger burns. I say, “You.”

Monday's Muse

For today, here is a sestina (also from my non-fiction book). Sestinas are 39 line poems that repeat the same six ending words in a particular pattern. And if anyone else out there writes poetry, share it with us! Leave something in the comments, or a link to your blog or site :)



Wolf Moon

The night grew silent with the rising moon.
Yellow eyes watched from the depths of the trees.
Whimpers and howls disrupted the quiet night.
Trembling lips pulled back from sharp, pointed teeth.
Soon would come the moment for which they wait,
The one night a month when they walk as men.

Cursed and outcast, they were hunted by men.
Tonight they were safe under the bright moon.
Their leader held them back, making them wait until
Finally, they creep one by one from the trees.
The full moon’s light gleaming from exposed teeth,
Watched by the animals who share the night.

Howls turned to joyous shouts that shattered the night.
Fur sheds, bodies lengthen, wolves become men.
Laughing mouths show their blunt, human teeth.
Men scatter, but one stays beneath the moon.
He knows she is there, just beyond the trees.
Through the long month they dream, they hope, they wait.

Each time he shifts, he’s afraid she won't wait.
But she’s there, coming to him, his for one night.
Wrapped in each other’s arms, under the trees
His love tells him news of the world of men.
Then silent, they watch the descent of the moon.
Their time is over, the man grits his teeth.

The change begins again, fur grows, sharp teeth…
Can he dare hope that she will once more wait?
On four legs, he howls his pain at the fading moon.
In anguish, she wilts back into the night.
Amidst the cries of those who are no longer men,
They once again find refuge in the trees.

For centuries, they’ve dwelled, sheltered by the trees.
Their clothing fur, their weapons – teeth.
There IS hope, a way to live once more as men.
The way is risky, but they cannot wait.
One by one, they fade into the dark night.
The leader has seen, he hopes, his last wolf moon.

No more ties to the moon, hidden by trees.
They run through the night, baring sharp wolfish teeth.
The wait is over; soon they’ll live as men.