{"id":24984,"date":"2024-02-09T21:20:10","date_gmt":"2024-02-10T02:20:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/artsatmichigan.umich.edu\/ink\/?p=24984"},"modified":"2024-05-16T10:08:51","modified_gmt":"2024-05-16T14:08:51","slug":"in-the-cesspool-of-my-dreams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artsatmichigan.umich.edu\/ink\/2024\/02\/09\/in-the-cesspool-of-my-dreams\/","title":{"rendered":"Frivolous Fairy Tales: In the cesspool of my dreams . . .\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This poem is borne from the idea of a creature that would be able to travel into our minds. What would it think about our deepest thoughts? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But this is also just me practicing structured(ish) poetry by limiting myself to eleven syllables for each line. But it\u2019s a loose rule since the structure breaks apart a few times. I tried my best to develop the poem’s fantasy elements so that it’s at the very least least<\/em> fairy tale-adjacent.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

~<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the cesspool of my dreams a shadow prowls <\/p>\n\n\n\n

leafing through my memories, it hums in thought,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

pausing at each page turned, it raises a brow,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

weighing each scene\u2019s absurdity\u2014 all for naught.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 “A dreadful, sinful person,” it must presume.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alas, this is the shadow prowler\u2019s sole role,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

deterge, depurate those degenerate tombs\u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n

tombes of our memories, that twin to our souls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But back to me and my character. It\u2019s foul\u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n

or at least so the prowler presumes. It\u2019s right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fruit pluckers like I shall be the fall of all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best to scourge my rot, all my blights extradite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So the prowler gouges that meat of my mind,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

and carefully bleeds it\u2014 drip by drip go by.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back into me it pours nectar so sublime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Golden, untainted virtue to gratify<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

those parents that left me dry<\/p>\n\n\n\n

when I told them that one time<\/p>\n\n\n\n

of lost dignity and pride<\/p>\n\n\n\n

when I sold love for mere dimes<\/p>\n\n\n\n

they said they\u2019d rather I died<\/p>\n\n\n\n

than have some foul sinner child . . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At this page, the shadow prowler lays in wait.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps, its heart twinges with sweet sympathy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps, I would be ever so fortunate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it\u2019s too late. The nectar swallows fully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thus, I\u2019m drowning in its makeshift chastity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Birthing my new entity and sealing it<\/p>\n\n\n\n

where Vice pricked continuous punctures in me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The shadow prowler retreats when my mind is cleansed and pure like a baby’s.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This poem is borne from the idea of a creature that would be able to travel into our minds. What would it think about our deepest thoughts? But this is also just me practicing structured(ish) poetry by limiting myself to eleven syllables for each line. But it\u2019s a loose rule since the structure breaks apart […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2257,"featured_media":23693,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[188,15,2131],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/artsatmichigan.umich.edu\/ink\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24984"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/artsatmichigan.umich.edu\/ink\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/artsatmichigan.umich.edu\/ink\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artsatmichigan.umich.edu\/ink\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2257"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artsatmichigan.umich.edu\/ink\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24984"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/artsatmichigan.umich.edu\/ink\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24984\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24987,"href":"https:\/\/artsatmichigan.umich.edu\/ink\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24984\/revisions\/24987"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artsatmichigan.umich.edu\/ink\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23693"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/artsatmichigan.umich.edu\/ink\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artsatmichigan.umich.edu\/ink\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artsatmichigan.umich.edu\/ink\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}