What would YOU tell Shakespeare’s Juliet if you had the chance? The Heretics, Lovers, and Madmen Literary Collective loves a good writing/creativity prompt challenge. Our goal is to provide prompts on a regular basis. We hope that our ‘Shadow in the Frame’ prompt stirs your muse and that you consider submitting your prompt response to Heretics, Lovers, […]
Writing/Creativity Prompt Challenge: Dear Juliet
I gaze into the thousands of twinkling eyes of my dark mother who reassures me, I don’t matter. Photo by Klemen Vrankar on Unsplash Bartholomew Barker is one of the organizers of Living Poetry, a collection of poets and poetry lovers in the Triangle region of North Carolina. His first poetry collection, Wednesday Night Regular, […]
Dark Mother: Nyx – Bartholomew Barker
today they’ll bury the 7
and hell has now imploded
silence in his scream
the noise in between
rage and shame
dissipated away in the fog
there will be no match
in a durge to the bravado
of your life you way your death
today they will not bury
rage pain hate sting fate
helplessness is not charity
dignity is gambled away
your darkness washed away
clearing the way for come what may
larger than life
you taunted the death
which inevitably takes all of us
no more yells pounding beats fueled by broken ideals
with heart in hand
and blunt inhaled
triumphant in your world
yet crying on the dark side
of the moon
hoy enterrarán al 7
y el infierno ahora ha implosionado
silencio en su grito
el ruido en el medio
rabia y vergüenza
disipado en la niebla
no habrá partido
en un duro a la bravuconería
de tu vida tu camino tu muerte
hoy no enterrarán
rabia dolor odio picadura destino
impotencia no es caridad
la dignidad se juega
tu oscuridad se lavó
despejando el camino para lo que pase
mas largo que la vida
te burlaste de la muerte
que inevitablemente nos lleva a todos
no más gritos golpeando ritmos impulsados por ideales rotos.
con el corazón en la mano
y contundentemente inhalado
triunfante en tu mundo
aún llorando en el lado oscuro
de la luna
The night you disavowed us; arms high above your headChhinnamasta, spouting bouquets of rosy blooddecapitating caution, light and sound bring creation’s escapepuppet no longer strung; you were a dark swan with gleaming feathersMare de déu de Montserrat with skin of starsblack Madonna, ebony in benediction’s release nothing of those apostasy days remain; aside my last […]
Dark Mother – Candice Louisa Daquin
We, the unhinged, have come to greet you,welcome you to our foldin the middle of the day,in the middle of the night.We may smirk while you contortyour eyebrows, your eyes, the cornersof your mouth into shadowy screams, but the taste of your blood on our tongues, and ours onto yours,soothes our souls, calms our minds.Your […]
We, the Unhinged, Welcome You – Danielle Wong
What is all that commotion?Oh no. It is the thump of new spring.Over my drowsy head tree rootsreach down, chattering at one anothersashaying through the dirt, sticking mein the eyes, raking through my hair.Bulbs and tubers press down on meas they crack open.And the faint incessant sounds:The skirmish of bird feet, of fawn hooves, the […]
Persephone Wakes – Nancy Dunlop
I have spent a lifetime trying to break away,trying to find myselfbut always on the edge,always on the outsidenever quite belonging.Even though I understoodthat what she wanted me to bewas what she had wanted to be,I still followed her from love,still bucked the trend of my peersand wore the gloves in summer with the classic […]
Dark Mother – Lynn White
you look at my nakednessand call me ‘Eve’name my sinsdisobediencegreedas you take the apple willinglyfrom my handbut I am no Eveoffering temptation of the tree of knowledge’s sweet fruitserpent wrapped around the branch above my head I am Liliththe firstshaped of the same dirtas Adamso the legend goesI am not of dirtbut of firehis equalunbendingheadstrongrefusing […]
Dark Mother: Lilith – Christine E. Ray
the dark motherteaches her daughtersto see through the veilshe encourages themto accept their personal powerand never give it to anothershe teaches strengthand a respect for all lifeshe also teaches her childrento fight backshe is lovingand kindbut has linesthat cannot be crossedshe is wildand freeand too oftenmisunderstoodand she crushesthe status quowith every step Native Chicagoan, feminist, […]
The Dark Mother – Georgiann Carlson
The Heretics, Lovers, and Madmen Literary Collective loves a good writing/creativity prompt challenge. Our goal is to provide prompts on a regular basis. We hope that our ‘Shadow in the Frame’ prompt stirs your muse and that you consider submitting your prompt response to Heretics, Lovers, and Madmen for publication. We welcome poetry, prose, flash fiction, creative […]
Writing/Creativity Prompt Challenge: Dark Mother
words less spoken 