And now possibly a third...

Although the story is still in an infant stage, I have fallen in love with a more wordy, descriptive style that has been developing as a I continue to write... an excerpt from the newest writing:

She spoke to me in metaphor, like a Hemingway story, those thick twisting ribbons of symbolism churning and diverging until finally no chance of a tangential thought was possible.

The sun had risen late that morning, as though night had overslept its alarm as well, apparently reluctant to let go of the trees, the leaves and the branches of the trees.

I smiled back as my I overheard my autonomous reply of agreement creak from my tired lips, but I smiled because I could smell fresh coffee in the air.

And though the day was just beginning to unfold, it also was slowly ticking away, and choosing at that moment to prefer the latter, I closed my eyes and fell back asleep.

Story number two

My second story, a fairy tale composed as a gift for my fiancee's little sister:

For the first few steps, Alexandra felt an overwhelming urge to collapse onto the ground. As if gravity itself had suddenly decided to meet her knees, Alexandra was taken over by the desire to stop walking all together and just sit down. Not from exhaustion, or from any real feeling Alexandra could offer to her mind so desperately in need of something concrete to build upon. This unknown desire lead her to question herself, and as she began her journey beyond the crossroads and down the dirt path simply called ‘West’, she realized what it was she felt.

While I could certainly and ably explain this sensation to you, Alexandra instead called to mind a fitting piece of imagery which draws a much simpler picture of how she felt than my words could do justice. As the barks of the opera dogs chasing her guide through the endless grass field faded into the distance, she recalled her favorite chair at home. She imagined as she trudged along in the morning sun how she would curl up in the chair with a good book, and wake up with a distinct feeling the chair had been napping along with her. And she thought of how she would read the book, and fall asleep, and when she awoke, the book still said the same thing. And now, she was beginning to wonder whether this chair even existed anymore, and if it did, then the only way to return to it was to endure more of this world which seemed to defy reason in every way. Surely falling asleep in a chair with a book here did not mean the pages would still read the same way when you awoke. Simply put, nothing was sure, and nothing was familiar. And if you are wondering what this type of thinking can do to a girl who is not yet a woman, well it makes her want to sit down.

But our heroine would hardly be a hero if she simply gave up or gave in. Instead, Alexandra no longer fully trusted this gift in herself, and as logically as possible, she decided to continue walking along her road, for she was certainly not moving any farther away from anything. And so it was that she was found smiling in a casual stroll when a black and white talking cat suddenly appeared beside her and commented upon the pleasant weather.

My first novel

This is an excerpt from my first 'real' novel... very long (came out to ~600pgs) piece of fantasy:

The third day in the woods began much as the other two had, but the cold air that had been present during the night did not warm as the morning came in a dull haze. Still deep inside the woods, the clouded sky could occasionally be seen through small gaps in the leafy canopy overhead, and the dark clouds soon brought rain by mid morning. The cold stinging rain fell hard onto Kithicor, drops falling down without mercy onto the progressing travelers below. This cold rain and the equally cold air set up the day ahead to be miserable for the group, especially Dewreal and Bruener who wore so little equipment. Yet the group was in high spirits and walked on without complaint, their cloaked and hooded figures laughing and speaking much more openly with one another than they had so far. Cirran and Lan again walked side by side, briefly discussing what they had learned about their fellow companions from the night before. Bruener and Dewreal spoke up from behind them, often to make a joke when Cirran or Lan made an error in their retelling, but also to elaborate on details they had skipped over during the previous night. It appeared to their guide that the two groups had at least become one, hoping this shaky acceptance of the others would be solid enough to endure the coming difficulties they’d surely face. By afternoon, the rain had stopped and they noticed the trees becoming slightly more sparse, a sign of the height which they were quickly reaching. Although the climb through the slanted forest floor seemed more grueling than the days before, the group only stopped twice, once for a quick break and food, the other when Aldebaran became alarmed at something, sending Bruener happily sprinting off into the surrounding trees. He returned with nothing to report, and so they pushed on.

By late afternoon, a wall of light was visible ahead of them, and after the days spent in the dark wood, they at last reached the final row of trees. Ahead of them lay a breathtaking sight, one which none of the younger had seen and no book could do justice to. The great mountains rose and fell before them, their gray, rocky slopes rising proudly, before giving way to majestic snow-capped peaks. To the north and south the four looked, the mountains filling their view and seeming to go on endlessly in either direction. The clouds overhead were scattered and broken; the sky a deep blue spanning the great hills, as they noticed again the sight of the sun, nearly forgotten during the past days. Aldebaran led them in a path parallel to the tree-line, looking for the road into the mountain town they would soon reach. The ground beneath them was hard and cold, but the change from walking uphill was welcome. By early evening, they had found the path, very similar to the road through the Western Commonlands. It appeared clearly in against its surroundings, yet also gave signs of its lack of use. They walked a short time along the trail before Aldebaran spoke up, deciding it was time to make camp.

Beneath midnight sky

Lay you down on the earth and beneath midnight sky

On the cool midnight grass you will gaze the grand tease

From such star lights that test your sensibilities

A light dust that rains down twinkling winks at your eyes

A blanket of eyelid will cover your demise

As the winds of your dreams fill your sails and senses

And the earth lets you go, along with good wishes

On the path that leads you from sunset to sunrise

This happens

This is the way things happen
Don’t you realize that yet?
You, alone in your head
Thinking how reason has left when

You feel so alone, a split end
Don’t look for any more meaning
When your phone is done ringing
Don't you know this happened?

You know, sometimes it’s raining
And sometimes it’s not raining.

It doesn’t mean you’re done for
You just are what you're seeing
And you got there by being
Where you were before.

The Garden

The gardener does all in a walk
His pace is slow, breathe in and exhale
The scents of spring leaves no room to talk
Roaming from roses to four 'o'clocks
And giving them rain from a pail.

And through the passing, from day to day
The life he lives will always feel drawn
Like rain to sprout, aware of delay
For too much leisure leads to decay
Winter's seeds neither empty nor gone

But in this work, perspectives are found
The slow stride counters the lifespans seen
Hope for the seed, for blooms to abound
And shared grief when they fall to the ground
Now they've no need for the steel canteen

They know time goes quick in the long run
Walking helpless, such lack of control
For you see all this in a season
And I can see no other reason
Amid this stir, they idly stroll.

Things I think about

All I want to give you
It only comes from love
Can I lay you down by the seaside
And show you all my stuff?

I won't think bad of you
Or think you're not enough
I just want to feel you with me
It's all I can dream of

Nights will go good
and nights will go rough
But won't you let me take you away with me
And give you all my love?

One last time

Tender caresses with fingertips
Trying to feel every single inch of you
Softer kisses under moonlights
Wanting you to remember me
Floral scents from your hair
Take me away when I close my eyes
But I don't want to go.

I am going to miss my girl
Coming in like a crisp breeze
But leaving like a freight train
We're both faking something now
Being pulled away so quickly
And taken to happier places
Or at least we hope.

Vermont in the fall

How long?

Everything is so passing
Out like last year
In with regret
You know it will hurt to lose
Transient passengers
We've got no control
Over so much that makes us
So much we need, and love
Someday we'll lose it
Like a child on Christmas night
Happiness, but the sadness is there
Down deep, look for it
It's going to be a lonely wait
You were born alone
And you will die alone
Ashes to ashes,
Dust to lust to death
So can I just enjoy
Because everything is gone, in time.
I don't want to watch the seasons
I just want to complete this.

The city always sleeps

Sleep well tonight quiet city
Let the stars be hidden behind your eyelids
Tonight is not for you, my darling

Swirling hazes halo city lights
Tomorrow they'll be gone by sunrise
Like dreams of wondrous worlds.

Let the trucks ride your roads
Making their way toward morning
These nocturnal messengers.

Their halogen eyes light their path
Because sometimes the stars aren't bright enough
To guide through the indigo blanket.

Sleep tight tonight my darling
And forget that the world is always turning
Tomorrow is waiting for you.