Poetry Collection #1
So I've written a fair amount of poetry since I took up writing. So much so that I've decided that I'll start making these collections. Some are from stories, others were made on a whim, others while drunk, so expect some eclectic and haphazard stuff.
Alongside each I'll be posting both the story it comes from, as applicable, as well as just a little insight into making that piece.
Please enjoy.
Edit: I'm giving up on trying to correct the second to last poem. It's like the formatting is openly resisting my attempts to correct it. I wasn't even sure how you activate that chapter tab thing, yet it keeps imposing itself. When I try to correct it, the page seems to ignore my corrections or just outright delete the parts I've tried to change. I'll make sure it's all there and leave it at that.
Vala's Song of Endurance
From - Restless, a night in Crater-Vale
https://www.sofurry.com/view/1467488
This probably remains my favourite poem. We have a rhyming quadruplet structure, but also another rhyming pair in every line, which I felt befitted a dragon of song/siren dragon like Vala; complicated but also topical to its intended use. Being based on 'old draconic' I decided to take a few less seen, older terms to make it a bit more interesting.
In context of the story, when sung by a siren dragon it overrides the fatigue of the listener at the expense of making them even more exhausted when it expires, so it would be used to maintain a defensive line to out endure a foe as a desperate last measure.
"Please rise my friend, to victory wend, battle yet to be fought
Be strong of mind, for dragon kind, 'gainst that our foes hath wrought
Stand by my side, on courage ride, our fate in troubles fraught
Be stilled of heart, as we depart, on that your masters taught
"With shields affixed, and stood betwixt, one 'nother and abreast
On endless strength, and at spears length, your skill and valour blessed
They'll break on charge, 'gainst bloody targe, on martial prowess test
With hours long, please heed my song, and soon we shall all rest
"Once more my friend, loss to amend, our kin and allies grieve
You stand again, ne'er to be slain, foe heart and neck to cleave
A call beyond, fear to recond, your spirit please believe
With dragon's cry, we cannot die, your rest yet to receive"
* * *
Dating Dragons
One of a few poems separate from anything, based on a prompt about dating a preferred scaly lover. The dating part kind of fell to the wayside in favour of a more straight-forward day in the life thing, but it is what it is. Nothing too complicated; rhyming couplets, telling a story.
A flight, skyward bound, aloft on wing, in these frightful moments I'm unable to sing, as air rushes, I'm terrified, a panic to ride, despite my love of her, deeply rooted inside. A hunt, visceral, offal spilled and then eaten, Her grinning muzzle aglisten with a winking to sweeten, her savage side present, forthcoming and willing, then a tender nuzzle, a kiss and I'm smeared from the killing.
Fearful glances from townfolk, notwithstanding, her gentle heart clear despite a thunderous landing, her size prodigious, everpresent and clear, yet, for me, I just look at her sauntering rear. I try to blend in as she thumps on beside me, and buy heavy provisions which she lifts with ease, gladly, I will never grow tired of her firm, muscled scale, and always wonder why me? Not a fine drakeish male?
As daylight wanes and evening waxes, I prepare my bedding and she just relaxes, as my back is turned, then a growling rumble, then she plucks me up and asks "Wanna tumble?" I'll not deprive her of this hungry request! Even if I hadn't prepared for this physical test! As cloaca is met with all manner of probing, I just wished for a chance for less claw-based disrobing...
T'is a commonplace theme, as I head back to society, as my odourous approach would give rapid sobriety I couldn't care less, though, it's a sign of my lover, I did bathe before but she'd once more of me smother. Another date, more time spent; a couple, if abnormal, yet I dare to think what will come to make of this formal. One day at a time, I suppose, and hope she stays happy, as I hope you had a chuckle and this wasn't just sappy.
* * *
Drunk on Crater-Vale
So very drunk...
While not from a story, obviously this is all about the protagonists of Restless, four of the key figures of the Passing the Flame series. It's really messy, but it is what it is.
There once was a kobold from Crater-Vale,
and the physical epitome of an alpha male,
Figin was his name,
dragonhood he'd tame'
and the background focus of my scaly tale.
Lalep was a tiny runt,
The likes of which we'd mock
A physically meek, growth dids't stunt
and of himself would take stock
A hero in the making was he
Of greater things was he destined to be
Once of insults, he'd take on the brunt
Now the exemplar, and walk of the cock.
Vala was a kindly type
A pretty white thing was she
Perhaps a leader she'd be
When one would consider her ripe.
A dragon of song, her voice as a storm
Yet a delicate type, kindness as the norm
One wonders of which colours are of her own stripe
While Lalep watches on with incorrigable glee.
Kaja, old soul, young of mind
Struggling with his newer kind
A helper of those within a bind
and of Figin e'er intertwined
A decent sort, rich of illusion
Of his own mind, deep in delusion
One wonders how his life reaches conclusion
Now he's attained harmonic inclusion
* * *
Maiden of the Cave
From - The Tale of Lalep the 'Bold
https://www.sofurry.com/view/1447538
In the original Lalep story I had chapter breaks designed to foreshadow some aspect coming up. Some more important than others, and as these breaks went, this one was pretty important. As of the posting of this collection I'm about to start the remake of The Tale of Lalep the 'Bold, and while I intend to do away with the chapter breaks, I do want to use some of the material (and already have, as Figin's letter of exception to Kugu became a lesser plot point in The Passing of the Flame), but this poem will feature in the Lalep remake.
Nothing complicated, but I wanted a certain despair to purvey the poem, as it was written from the perspective of a poet who lived in the town Vala lived near for a time, after leaving her first dragon mate and before her capture by the villain of the story. I enjoyed this one from a story-telling perspective, as a lot of this forms foreshadowing for Vala's chapter in Restless, especially in terms of her powers.
"Oh Maiden of the Cave, your song doth speak to me
You make a man feel ten feet tall, yet never shall we be
As shipmen crash upon the rocks, your voice they all did'st crave
All would give ourselves to wed the Maiden of the Cave
"Oh Maiden of the Cave, where have you gone alone?
To have you grace us all once more, the King I would dethrone
To hear your dreaded song again, which turned knight into knave
To merely visit your lonely beach, Oh Maiden of the Cave
"We never saw, but thusly thought, your beauty was divine
Your very voice alone the finest, deepest, sweetest wine
We know the days when you alone had saved us from the our foes
Protected us of rogues, invaders; spared us from their woes
"We named you Valarie, the Saint of Wealth and Oceans
We named you our protector, of threats and flared emotions
You never spoke, nor never asked, for anything in return
But when you left we couldn't help but feel that harmful spurn
"Oh Maiden of the Cave, your song doth speak to me
You left a hole within our souls, the gravest tragedy
We simply cannot carry on, we beg thee to us save
our lives themselves of empty worth, Oh Maiden of the Cave"
* * *
The Ballad of Lalep the Bold
From- The Tale of Lalep the Bold
https://www.sofurry.com/view/1447538
I had fun with this one, largely because I intentionally got really loose with the wording as I felt it would be a better fit for a song cobbled (kobold?) together by miners to celebrate a new hero in their clan. It also features that rhyming on a line from Vala's song, but also rhyming triplets. It also has what I hope is a sufficiently folksy style to the way it flows, as well as some of the... let's call it colour, as with some of the lyrics of Rik-Chik later.
Despite said 'colour', and while it's not ever said, I always imagined Vala helping the miners make this song in celebration of her saviour, which is why it's got that slightly complicated rhyming style.
"A Braver Kobold there never was ever
A scout from Crater-Vale, oh so clever
A dagger and sword in hand and claw
An unlikelier hero we did never saw
"From humble beginnin's, a clutch of six, he was the last to hatch
Grew up as a runt, and thought of as stunted, a break he'd never catch
He was yellow of scale, a pitiful male, claws likely too small to scratch!
Yet he was a fighter,
a cutter and biter!
In the Tale of Lalep the 'Bold!
"Destined for cookin', of writin' or chippin', a lesser life for he
Yet trainin' for killin, of stabbin' and seekin', he said he'd rather be
He couldn't talk well, he'd scramble and yell, and often would just flee!
Yet a slayer of Men,
Again and again!
In the Tale of Lalep the 'Bold!
"A Braver Kobold there never was ever
A scout from Crater-Vale, oh so clever
A dagger and sword in hand and claw
An unlikelier hero we did never saw
"Set out on patrol, the dutiful Kobold, and his very best, he did
Fell into a portal, so nearly crushed and from Man-kin did he hid
Captured and beated, but never defeated, they'd never be of him rid!
He cut out their eyes
left'em to the flies!
In the Tale of Lalep the 'Bold!
"Discovered a female, and rescued her too, a Kobold of pretty white
They fled off together, protector and charge, bonding together to fight
She sung to amaze, beguile'em and faze, he cut'em and set'em alight!
They fucked up a wizard
an' tore out his gizzard!
In the Tale of Lalep the 'Bold!
"A Braver Kobold there never was ever
A scout from Crater-Vale, oh so clever
A dagger and sword in hand and claw
An unlikelier hero we did never saw
It's a tale we'll keep tellin' until we're old!
Good ol' Firaegin bless Lalep the 'Bold!"
* * *
A Kobold Miner's Rhythm
From - The Passing of the Flame
https://www.sofurry.com/view/1503403
Besides Lalep the 'Bold, I've generally stuck to one song/poem per story. This is something that will change on occasion, and The Passing of the Flame is certainly a demonstration of that. This unnamed poem is used by Figin to help inspire the miners during Crater-Vale's darker moments, as written by a contemplative kobold before Figin's time, depicting each of the kobold occupations as parts of a dragon. One has to figure they would, as dragon worshipping folk, make these sort of comparisons.
Otherwise it's a fairly simple poem.
"Our soldiers are the claws and teeth,
the alchemists bring her fury and fire,
the scouts, the eyes keeping swords in sheath,
trapsmiths as scales 'gainst foes most dire."
"The mines, though, are her beating heart,
with veins of copper, iron and gold,
the pulse is smithing the tools to impart,
for glory to dragons, their lairs and wold."
"A rhythm of picks, a percussion strong,
us miners, you see, are her endless breath,
with powerful lungs, for want of a song,
so sing as one, from birth unto death."
* * *
Rik-Chik
From - The Passing of the Flame
https://www.sofurry.com/view/1503403
Good ol' Rik-Chik. I set out to make something with a fast, almost patter-song sort of pace. Naturally, without having any ability to depict the tunes in my head, be it by playing an instrument, singing or writing music, it's up to individual interpretation, but this is supposed to be a quick song, which is why it's sung by two sides of a mining team in alternation except for perhaps the final flurry of lines.
Otherwise it's a song of giving power to the miners of a kobold clan, since they're the most common profession but also the most important in terms of self-sustainability, giving further credence to the Mining poem's message. It does have a cultural poke as well, as it's supposed to also convey that all kobolds are supposed to be equal, which is why this song's designed to ruffle the feathers of uppity underbosses or even the mining foreman. Lastly, kobolds follow the doctrine of working hard and playing hard; they like them some thick, meaty boys and girls to play with after a long day chopping stone.
"Rik-Chik!"
"Rik-Chik!"
"Miners go and grab a pick!"
"We're gonna swing it 'til we're sick!"
"The sound of Rik-Chik-Chik!"
"Rik-Chik!"
"Rik-Chik!"
"Jus' hold the axe up by the stick!"
"We're gonna swing'em double quick!"
"To hear that Rik-Chik-Chik!"
"A few more chips!"
"Another chunk!"
"For iron strips!"
"Then go get drunk!"
"An ale or five!"
"A dozen more!"
"To feel alive!"
"Iron galore!"
"And so another day is done!"
"Rollin' out iron by the ton!"
"Rik-Chik!"
"Rik-Chik!"
"Another cart in just a tick!"
"'Or else we're gonna get a kick!"
"So keep the Rik-Chik-Chik!"
"Rik-Chik!"
"Rik-Chik!"
"We say the foreman is a prick!"
"So suck my hole or kiss my dick!"
"Jus' one more Rik-Chik-Chik!"
"It's how we thrive!"
"Our way of life!"
"A common drive!"
"No lack of strife!"
"The greatest clan!"
"We're all as one!"
"'ccordin to plan!"
"Won't be undone!"
"The Underboss might be a twat!"
"But he's in charge, so that is that!"
"Rik-Chik!"
"Rik-Chik!"
"Go get a mate, we like'em thick!"
"A meaty boy or girl to lick!"
"And give my Rik-Chik-Chik!"
"Rik-Chik!"
"Rik-Chik!"
"The shaft is getting' mighty slick!"
"So time to suck or 'dip the wick'!
"And wet the Rik-Chik-Chik!"
"We're gonna get our end away!"
"Or won't give'em the time of day!"
"Another shift is done, it's through!"
"And just what else is there to do?"
"Until tomorrow, drink it up!"
"Another sip or gulp or cup!"
"The sunrise hours are upon us and my back is goin' 'crick'"
"So take a pew and get some rest, so no more Rik-Chik-Chik!"
* * *
She's a Rodere Girl.
From - Pariah (Firebrand 2)
https://www.sofurry.com/view/1487625
My take on a soft rock, kinda saccharine love song, as depicted in my Candace being Candace series. I wanted the lyrics to be pretty straightforward, and it's one of my works that annoys me the most that I can't demonstrate how it's supposed to sound, but I guess the content is the important thing.
I also couldn't help but feel like there's a joke to be made about this being considered Max and Candace's song despite the fact she's no wallflower, but at the same time she would get embarrassed easily at the sort of treatment depicted therein (being teased and such).
"Her hand in mine, an open sky,
I'm not a man to question why,
it feels divine, she looks so pleased,
her round ears flicker as she's teased."
"I brush her whiskers down once more
the kiss alone just makes my heart soar
but before that day, before we met
I'd never put a dollar down to bet
she'd be a rodere girl."
"Sitting here together or lying here awake.
a heart to heart and soul to soul,
our lives together and vows to take,
once far apart and now we're whole."
"We'll stick together, as we dance and whirl,
she's so special to me; she's a rodere girl."
"She'd play with her tail when she was young,
she'd squeak all the high notes when we sung,
but the cutest thing that she could be
was always sitting next to me."
"The feel of skin on fur so fine,
it was never like us to tow the line,
if this ain't right, and as we squeeze,
they'll never know the joys like these.
'cause she's my rodere girl."
"Sitting here together or lying here awake.
a heart to heart and soul to soul,
our lives together and vows to take,
once far apart and now we're whole."
"We'll stick together, as we dance and whirl,
she's so special to me; she's a rodere girl."
"We cross the threshold, two as one,
this bond of ours can't be undone,
we love each other, plain to see,
against the world, just you and me."
"Our lives ahead and hand in hand,
it's just so simple to understand,
our hearts are filled to full with joy,
because after all I'm just a boy,
with his rodere girl."
"Sitting here together or lying here awake.
a heart to heart and soul to soul,
our lives together and vows to take,
once far apart and now we're whole."
"We'll stick together, as we dance and whirl,
she's so special to me; she's a rodere girl,
"She's everything to me; she's my rodere girl."
* * *
/scaly Dreams.
We're all here once more, what a miserly fate e'er hopeful to have a reptilian mate with patterns of scale, skin or feather dreaming of love or lust or whatever.
Whichever you flavour of scaly, friend, we each have a preference here in the end, feral, anthro, plantigrade, therapod, by air, land or sea; face facts, we're all odd.
Like dragony types, worshipped and awed? to koboldy things, so tiny and flawed? crocodile, iguana, allosaurus or newt whatever your flavour, we all find'em cute.
So we stare at our screens, tapping F5, using deviant, exotic musings to thrive, we ponder; viewing, reading, inspired, to see and feel scaled ones so desired.
So carry on, /scaly/, dream of decadent things, frills, spikes, strong tails, fangs, horns or wings, cloaca, vagina, cocks, balls inside or out, just no human-like faces, we all love a snout.
I wish all a fair time in this glorious place, and all power to the fantastical lizardly race.
Probably best leave one part unread. Good night there, /scaly/, I'm going to bed.
* * *
Hunted
A poem written for Halloween! A darker themed yarn of pursuit from a hungry, predatory lizard of vague enough description to hopefully give you something to work with, even the ending can be interpreted as you please.
A forest at night; a dark, troubled maze,
All silent, unsure if a fair sign or not,
You grimace, stride forth, a trail yet to blaze,
A walk between trees, now riddled with rot.
Then, edge of hearing, a scratch on wood,
Or so you thought; just a fearful belief,
Quiet again, you move on, as you should,
No sign of a monster. Just a flittering leaf.
A fools errand, your task, at least on this night,
Even bandits refuse to brave this copse
Yet a fool you are, going by dim lamp-light,
The snap of a twig, your heart nearly stops.
No doubts this time, you're now being hunted,
A shimmer of scales and a nictating eye,
You cuss, wondering what god you've affronted
and run with futility, certain you'll die.
A screech!
You beseech,
"Don't devour me, please!"
A growl,
and you howl,
"Grant me passage, o' trees!"
A hammering gait,
your strides landing hard,
your cursing your fate,
and then find your path barred!
A miserable cliff,
and a staggering height,
your limbs grow stiff,
and forget fight or flight.
But there! Yonder tree; gnarled, ancient, roots long,
With a trail of fibrous rope taken gladly,
Renewed vigour instilled, grip assured and strong,
A descent; rapid, desperate and paced madly.
Scarce halfway down, you see its ravenous maw,
Either grinning or snarling, you're unable to tell,
The powerful lizard stares down with a roar,
Then drops right on top as you desperately yell!
A collision, you fall,
A crash on the ground,
Then you hear its foul call!
A sinister sound...
It's near, teeth bare,
Red emberish stare,
Dark tongue, slathered,
Your wits, ungathered.
Hands tremble, heart drops,
You swear your pulse stops,
It pounces, you're pinned,
and you wait to be skinned!
Hot breath on your face and your eyes now clenched,
You're trembling violently; it's the end of the line,
Your clothes are then shorn and by tongue you are drenched,
And a single word uttered by savage tone,
"Mine!"