Wednesday, August 21, 2024

Blame It On Stephen King



I spill ink crow tarot tracks

across a page trying to

write lemons into lemonade,

but there’s nothing pretty

in a journal of bruises.


Among sticks and stones,

broken bones, and vinegared potions

of all’s sunny in hell my Gothic Care Bear

muses keep quoting Stephen King,

“The Devil’s voice is sweet to hear.”


My verses are cruel, yet somehow delightful.

I can be the beast in beautiful, knife in a heart

when my humor is the syrup of sharp teeth.

I don’t play well with faux anything. 


I get more thrills in celebrating Halloween

than a sugar-coated Valentine’s Day 

filled with undying confessions of love

shopped from a grocery store aisle. 


Any way you shuffle me I will always rise with black feathers.

Isn’t it good to be honest? 


©Susie Clevenger 2024

Shay's Word Garden Word List ~ Full Dark, No Stars



6 comments:

  1. I LOVE this! "I dont play well with faux anything" and, especially, "Any way you shuffle me, I will always rise with black feathers." Superb.

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  2. To answer your ending question, I find that indeed it is. After all, there is such a thing as toxic positivity, too. I love the grittiness of this, the scorn for Valentines Day fakery, and from a strictly poetic POV, I love that second stanza in its entirety. So well written and on point, Susie. You write true.

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  3. Susie you definitely write true to your experience and heart and that is one of the many reasons your poetry is so wonderfully magnificent. I especially love the first stanza and I love the question you close it with!

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  4. "Any way you shuffle me I will always rise with black feathers.

    Isn’t it good to be honest?"

    What a great line!

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  5. I love the atmospheric imagery and the end with a question - really captures the spirit of the prompt - Jae

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  6. "I can be the beast in beautiful, knife in a heart
    when my humor is the syrup of sharp teeth." Oooh! Well penned!

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