Another Blog

In case anyone simply checks this instead of my Xanga as well, I'm starting up a new blog devoted to writing. I want to do more expression of myself, separate from philosophy and prosaic accounts of my life, but I feel rather unskilled. As such, I would greatly appreciate comments, including positive (I need at least a little ego boost every now and then), but especially critical (I'm mostly concerned with becoming skilled, and I haven't done much creative writing since high school). I'm using Xanga for the time being as it'll hopefully be easier to join a community than with Blogger; if this doesn't work, I'll switch it over to a Blogger account. So, without further ado, visit http://www.xanga.com/candlelitmuse, or simply add candlelitmuse to your Xanga subscriptions.

Poetry Break

Currently reading:
Phantastes
   by George MacDonald

I'll probably regret this in the morning (I think that I regret half the things written late at night), but I feel like posting some stuff I've been writing on the blog. So, here goes.

The raucous cacophony of shouts, screams
Rushing on, overlapping, ripping apart their prey
The onslaught surrounds the lone victim
Defending himself, he joins the crusade

What's your answer?  Choose your side
Flip your coin, roll the die
Lady virtue walks off with the man of fortune
As muddied pilgrims while away in the stocks.

Are you with us or for us?
For any value of "us"
Ignorance is bliss, peace, faith, hope and love
Those who seek shall find only hell

Close your eyes and count to 10
Take a deep breath, it'll all be over
Strength comes from falling limply off the fence
Those who toil in the midst of battle are wimps

Aristotle said it, so it must be so
You must either say yes or no
Don't bother knocking, just open some door
Don't ask, only seize

Like a flowing, rushing torrent
Breaking on the banks and rocks
Swirling, twisting, whirling chaos
Flecks of white flung high above
Precious river-life lost to earth
And then the sea
Vast, open, serene
And free

Ninjas. And zombies. On Mars.

I'm procrastinating before going to training for work today and taking the ACT (btw, I'm now a tutor for StudySmart in the Chicago area, teaching math and test prep), so here are the fruits of my labor for everyone else's head-shaking. It is the start of an epic poem which may very well go down in history (at least speaking in terms of logical possibility):

Now hearken to a tale of times gone by
Of harsh yet glorious days of battle won
Of robot ninjas at the dawn of time
Ninjutsu and lasers, by the shrunken sun
This war, you see, was fought upon the soil
Where feet of man had never trod till now
The ground soaked through from all their bloody toil
A crimson red from werewolf zombie cows
Ninja airships, bovine tanks, and more
Strove eagerly to prove themselves in war
Where lycanthrope and metal spirits soar