January Update: Book Release and more

In July 2013 I released a collection of my poetry. Entitled “Swannui and Cygnus”, a play on words which only I got/found amusing, the book was a compilation of all the poems that I had written up to that point. There were early stream of consciousness experiments I had written in Sixth Form, heavily formulaic works from my University days and even some that I had written in the month and week before the release. The poems spanned a good 8 or so years. They were varied both thematically and stylistically but I was happy with the book and I knew that the content needed to be released in physical form.
Since July I have written a further 23 poems. They will be released early February as “Be All, End All”. The book is longer, more focused, more mature and more consistent. I shall attempt to distribute in the local towns of Halesworth and Bungay as well as Beccles but shop owners can be reticent to stock independent releases.
The four part epic poem “The Merfoxiad” will not feature in “Be All, End All” but will instead be released on it’s own later in the year.

Finally, you may have noticed that I now have a second blog: http://www.mazesend.co.uk

“Maze’s End is a weekly club event for collectible card gamers, war gamers, board gamers…all gamers!
Come along and play Magic The Gathering, Cardfight Vanguard, Yu-Gi Oh, Pokemon, Warhammer 40,000 or bring along any board game for multiplayer fun.
Our experienced and friendly staff can offer beginner’s tutoring for Magic The Gathering, or help with deckbuilding tips.
In our relaxed atmosphere you can join like-minded gamers and meet new people.
Whether a novice player or a tournament pro, we aim to provide something for everyone.”

I’m a Magic The Gathering enthusiast and I will be using that site to promote my gaming club in Beccles, Suffolk and to write regular articles about Magic and gaming in general.

A Moment

Last night I stood by the moonlit sea and was struck dumb by the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. I took no photos as my camera phone would not do it justice. I didn’t look at my phone so as to avoid distractions. I stood stock still in wonder as tears rose to wet my eyes and breathed the cold coastal air, heavily laced with the ecstasy of life.

Piercing Blue

So this is what passion is
All that it is, all that it ever was
When it’s laid out, stripped bare
And shown for what it really is

Bursting, short, sharp spurts
A few manic minutes to break the monotony
We need, we crave it, we hunger for the
Release, the relief

So gasp, gulp it all down
The essence is essentially all
You need child
To forget for one second

Just how you turned out
How every rock you hurl
Bounces back off the glass
Bruising that already bloodied

And blistered face
You’ve torn the veil from grace
And seen the wrinkles that have
Set in and hang around once soft

Lips and been shocked to see
But not too shocked
That those piercing blue eyes
Have turned to grey and clouded

Over. It’s all over and now
As you sit, rocking back and forth
They’ll never understand your need for
Mediocrity or an even keel

Smooth sailing without the pits
And troughs along the way because
Once you’re riding a wave
You can’t hold back the sickening knowledge

That soon you’ll be lost at sea
Adrift and crashing against
Those tired allegorical rocks
Without a siren, a harpie, a sylph or
A selkie to offer some brief respite
To rub your back, hold you tight and whisper
In that one ear that works;
It’s all alright, at least you’re alive

Immaculate

We’ve all been searching for something for so long
That the reality is that we simply can’t accept anything
That’s real, as everything that is actual and material
Is by its nature, flawed with faults and far from

The ideal, the perfect, the immaculate image of
That life we dreamt of
That we were raised on, hand reared to believe
That something just a little beyond human

Existence could await us, perhaps only us
And it’s all fairy tales and folk lore
But perhaps thats all there is
There are no dragons, no hydras, no trolls

No knights, no princess
Nobody wears a white veil
We are all muddied, bloodied
Human and defective

Beauty is best left fleeting
Because she is a flickering, fluttering flash
Through your life
A bright flame that burns out far too fast

And scorches into the soul
The first cut is the deepest is
A lie I’ve heard far too many times
As the twentieth gouge slices roughly into

My aching wrist, relax and wrap it up
A tourniquet, a suture sculpting the skin
To disguise the damage of
Every little last laceration

Thanks for the mammaries, the misery, the memories
The mild amusement and the smile that slips across
These bruised and battered features
It’s not so bad, we are all alive and

Well, well isn’t that just the point
We live, we grow, we move on
And beautiful moments are only beautiful
As they are so short, sharp, sudden
Unexpected and altogether surprising
Cutting us to our cynical cores and showing
A glistening glimpse of something that we know
Deep down is the ecstasy of life

All good things in small doses
Lap it up and indulge
Savour it, savour her
Save up the saviour and store it
To save you from your sorrow

Multi Media Hits

Good afternoon all!

Just a quick one. I’ve noticed that, despite my followers growing a little on here, my Facebook and Twitter pages are pretty dead. Now, if we want an audience for our writing, having a better following on Twitter and Facebook is important. I know that having Facebook “likes” isn’t the be all and end all (see my post Why I’ll Never Be Famous) but a social media presence can be important for aspiring writers.

My twitter is

http://www.twitter.com/realbrunners

On Twitter I will follow you back.

My Facebook is

http://www.facebook.com/iridescentfox

If you comment on this post to let me know that you’ve liked it and provide a link to your writing page then I shall like you back.

Hope we can all benefit mutually from this.

Pity Is As Pity Does

She’s happy now
So I hope that serves as
Some small comfort
As you sit sipping scrumpy

Alone in your apartment
Checking your phone for a text
From someone more interesting than
Your plan provider

If light alliteration can amuse and
Entertain then take that up as
Another pastime to help see you through
The longer you last without speaking shit
To her or anyone else can only be time well passed

Your prime, is gone like the wind
Technicolour and technically over
Or is it all a state of mind
What state is yours in right now

After one too many nights
Lapping at the teat of any of your many
Vices, metaphorical and as meaningless
As the last four years of your life

Time is short, or so they say
Youth is fleeting and wasted on the
Young, yet you could do a lot to slow it
Down, stop sliding down the slippery slope
Of slosh, drink, drunk

You are what you eat and if all that defines you
Is your seat at the bar
Your bank balance and beer belly
And the way the barmaids frown
With pity and disgust

Well, what a pity it is that it’s come to this

The Tyranny Of The State

In early October I went to see a football game in Norwich. I parked in an area that I was directed to by marshals. I returned after the game, got in my car and drove home.
76 days later I received a parking ticket addressed to “Mr Bronsdon” (not my name) and featuring several typographical errors. Confused by the two and a half month wait, the absence of any parking restriction notices in the area and by the lack of any ticket on my windscreen; I questioned the ticket.
The response was basically that the marshals have no authority (so why are they allowed?), the parking ticket was attached to my windscreen in a waterproof pouch and the council can’t take responsibility for people removing it (it was a dry day and neither the pouch nor any adhesive residue were anywhere to be seen) and the council can issue tickets any time up to 6 months after an alleged incident.
The council know that my only option is to pay now or to try take them to court. Court would be more costly than the fine and I would be very surprised that, in a case of Norwich City Council vs a private citizen, Norwich City Council would turn on itself and let me off the hook.
So I guess I must concede the fight. I don’t have the time or the money to battle on, but that irks me even more. The council know that few private citizens have the resources to challenge them.

It’s a shame…my father always taught me to stand up to bullies.