Our Romance
Not each other’s first love
or even each other’s second.
We both lived a life before
and carried the scars to prove it.
We did not love at first sight --
life would never be so neat --
you grimly committed to him,
and I determined to stay with her.
How we fell into each other’s arms
proved more to be a laugh there,
a shared moment here, a meeting
of minds and battered hearts.
Remember our sweet surprise
when this casual acquaintance
grew into a firm friendship
and fantastically something more.
Not each other’s first love
or even each other’s second,
but if fate is finally kind
we will be each other’s last.
Copyright 2014 by Stephen B. Bagley. All rights reserved. No copying without prior express written permission from the author and publisher. Thank you for reading.
Monday, January 27, 2014
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Full moon tonight
I bet the wolves are howling tonight. Below the photo is a poem from my forthcoming book Undying: Poems of Fantasy & Science Fiction.
Moon
She sent the kids to her parents.
Then cleaned the house
spotless like he wanted it.
She cooked his favorite foods,
ham and loaded potatoes,
coconut cream pie for dessert.
She put on the yellow dress,
but wore nothing underneath
because he always liked that.
And when he came home
she waited by the door
with an icy beer to sate his thirst.
After dinner, she gave herself
to him, pretending to enjoy
his uncaring and clumsy hands.
When they finished, he laughed
and said, "I'm glad you learned
your lesson last night, babe."
She smiled as her hands
covered the mottled bruises
on her bare arms and neck.
He rolled over and slept
self-satisfied, while she waited
for the sacred moon to rise.
The silvery light touched
their bed and slid over her face,
her eyes gleamed yellow.
She ran her tongue
over her newly sharp
teeth and tasted the air.
She reveled in her soft fur
as her nails became claws
and muscles writhed.
Then she turned her great head
toward his sleeping form
and smiled a predator’s smile.
When the morning sun rose,
neighbors found his body
here and there and even over there.
Copyright 2014 by Stephen B. Bagley. All rights reserved. Excerpted from the forthcoming book Undying: Poems of Fantasy & Science Fiction. No copying without express permission from the author and the publisher.
 |
| Photo copyright 2014 by Stephen B. Bagley |
Moon
She sent the kids to her parents.
Then cleaned the house
spotless like he wanted it.
She cooked his favorite foods,
ham and loaded potatoes,
coconut cream pie for dessert.
She put on the yellow dress,
but wore nothing underneath
because he always liked that.
And when he came home
she waited by the door
with an icy beer to sate his thirst.
After dinner, she gave herself
to him, pretending to enjoy
his uncaring and clumsy hands.
When they finished, he laughed
and said, "I'm glad you learned
your lesson last night, babe."
She smiled as her hands
covered the mottled bruises
on her bare arms and neck.
He rolled over and slept
self-satisfied, while she waited
for the sacred moon to rise.
The silvery light touched
their bed and slid over her face,
her eyes gleamed yellow.
She ran her tongue
over her newly sharp
teeth and tasted the air.
She reveled in her soft fur
as her nails became claws
and muscles writhed.
Then she turned her great head
toward his sleeping form
and smiled a predator’s smile.
When the morning sun rose,
neighbors found his body
here and there and even over there.
Copyright 2014 by Stephen B. Bagley. All rights reserved. Excerpted from the forthcoming book Undying: Poems of Fantasy & Science Fiction. No copying without express permission from the author and the publisher.
Saturday, January 4, 2014
The Secret
I've been working on my New Year's Resolutions. They're still a work in progress. I know the general goals, but mapping about a workable plan for each takes some time. Particularly for the large goals like writing a book, taking over the world, becoming a billionaire, etc.
Writing a novel can be as simple as one page a day. Think about that. One page a day the entire year, and you will have a good sized novel about teenage vampires who sparkle. The problem being that takes a commitment that many people lack. That I often lack. What keeps us committed? What makes us motivated?
I think goals are good: you exercise to live longer or be healthier; you write a book for fame or money or communication; you master physics to created a space-time tunnel to Mars from which to launch your robot flying monkeys on unsuspecting humanity, see how they run; and so on, but the process has to be enjoyable.
Yes, I think that's the secret to keeping any resolution or reaching any goal. You have to enjoy the process. "Joy in the Journey" to quote the title of a favorite Christian song of my mother. She believed in heaven, but she also believed in enjoying life in the here and now, also. She told me once that she never got tired of life; she wanted to wake up each morning. If her body hadn't betrayed her, she would happily be with us still. The Mormons have a variation of that: "Man is that he might know joy." And we Baptists love plunging people into ice cold water in unheated baptismal fonts. Feel the joy!
My point is that it's all well and good to resolve to be better -- I think we should and I don't quite trust people who don't try -- but we should also remember life down here is short and we should seek what wholesome joy we can find and share it with those we love. Remember in the end, we're all going to die of something.
Writing a novel can be as simple as one page a day. Think about that. One page a day the entire year, and you will have a good sized novel about teenage vampires who sparkle. The problem being that takes a commitment that many people lack. That I often lack. What keeps us committed? What makes us motivated?
I think goals are good: you exercise to live longer or be healthier; you write a book for fame or money or communication; you master physics to created a space-time tunnel to Mars from which to launch your robot flying monkeys on unsuspecting humanity, see how they run; and so on, but the process has to be enjoyable.
Yes, I think that's the secret to keeping any resolution or reaching any goal. You have to enjoy the process. "Joy in the Journey" to quote the title of a favorite Christian song of my mother. She believed in heaven, but she also believed in enjoying life in the here and now, also. She told me once that she never got tired of life; she wanted to wake up each morning. If her body hadn't betrayed her, she would happily be with us still. The Mormons have a variation of that: "Man is that he might know joy." And we Baptists love plunging people into ice cold water in unheated baptismal fonts. Feel the joy!
My point is that it's all well and good to resolve to be better -- I think we should and I don't quite trust people who don't try -- but we should also remember life down here is short and we should seek what wholesome joy we can find and share it with those we love. Remember in the end, we're all going to die of something.
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Happy New Year!
I hope the new year is filled
with peace, health, love, and laughter
for you and yours!
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