The Maenad's Bone Garden

This was written December 25, 2020.  A year ago today.  Endurance?   ‘It’s all the same babe’ Bullets and bottle rockets.   New Year’s Day No matter where I live, East Dallas, Everett, or San Jose. Zippity bullets - are you going to come my way? Just some girl dying 100 feet away Music in passing, Lenny Kravitz. People without assets, meth heads maskless,   indulging in habits Behind the local bus stop, a small flick of rabbits. I want to shelter, to keep them safe But can’t just part of the world I cannot save. A lesson to be learned in January not March, April, or May. Hunger pains make the lessons stay. Here in the ghetto, it’s just another day,   that’s What Vallejo say. Don’t worry babe, Christmas day, New year’s day, it’s all the Same day after day after day

A maenad princess picking Bitter Crown from her Garden   Blue December, creeping, these are old and lost phantoms, abandoned, stirrings.    Yearning.   Needing to be distraught once more. Needing to take you home again.   Yet thorns are needful things Without them no bloom, No rose or rye, Nor dawn or moon Thorns that grasp and Catch, bite their prey Here is your bitter crown o princess Wear the thorns and See You are made just like me And to die, Here in this This Garden Where all my friends stay A metaphor but it Might as well be A real place It’s quiet here, at last Out in the world No one takes more risks No one looks at your shit Or care what risk you took This time There is no perimeter, no edge, no limitation To the colours, shapes, and thoughts you see,

  Regardless of it’s other “interesting qualities,” I have had a mighty fucking year.     With the release of Sub-ether 03 later this month, Dreaming Gynoid studio has released a book a month (at least), each month, all year.    (While this is a fine achievement it is one I note most enthusiastically in the passing. I have no intention of working myself so hard next year thank you very much. Not like this.   Work better not harder.)  With the release of Galaxy Black this year , all of the major books I wanted to do there originally have been done and are out.    More relevant to this place,  I’ve had my words appear in six other publications this year (look left for links).    Come spring I will have work in three different anthologies, including another print book.   I had my first print publication with Lupercalia Press in the form of the Ishtar Cycle    which is – so far – the most important thing I’ve ever written. It has taken a long long LONG time to get here but it feels re