Hi all
Another McAllister’s Mates where I tell you about some of the many great writers on Substack that I have stumbled upon and become enthralled by. In keeping with the last issue’s experimental theme (Issue 38) I’ve written two odes dedicated to Victor Jimenez and Luciana Moroianu tying into their atmospheric and intriguing works.
Victor Jimenez
Victor Jimenez is an illustrious and highly imaginative science fiction and fantasy author with a treasure trove of short stories, for this one I’ve written a prelude to his novel The Fallen Years. The first part of this story is on Substack of course, but if you enjoy this please do buy the book on Amazon and support an independent author.
Prophecy Of the Fallen Years
The barley shifts on gentle winds,
A thresher’s prowling walk
Roaring flames beneath the kiln
Transmute chaff, and stalk.
Honeyed jokes drip from tongues.
Clergy ears kiss walls.
A captive hearing sacred songs
As the shutters fall.
Joyous hearts drive trudging feet
Keep happiness within.
Whispered love and passion beats,
Foul miseries of sin.
Then my soul sang out
“Toil and cut and measure”.
The body wearing out,
Promised, eternal pleasure.
An odd air shifts the barley.
Clergy’s whispers darken.
Softly and yet surely
The serf is being woken.
These words, a subtle taster,
Of meekness meeting malice.
A collision closes faster,
Dare you drain the chalice?
Amazon Book
Luciana Moroianu
Luciana is a gifted metaphysical poet - her work is full of soft (yet sometimes menacing) cadences and evocative, deeply symbolic imagery. If you enjoy this poem and the originals that inspired it - I can highly recommend a relaxing and invigorating stroll around her portfolio. For this poem I bounced off of a few of her striking lines, inspired by the images they brought into my mind. (Each quote is linked to its parental poem - do check out the source).
Mother Moroian, Luciana Illuminé
She walks my sky
Rides coloured curls
That strike my eyes
As loaded lids furl.
Who, Where, When slips
“motherhood, stardom or light.”
Pulse jazzes, breathing flips.
School bell hits the night.
“The first martyr was God”
She carries the salve.
He casts me on hard sods
But her oils blush mauve.
Hard stone harder words,
“A daughter made of tinsel.”
Commandments and swords
Against her sacred vessel.
Who is this scowling “maker”?
She is sowing meadow lawns,
Casting seeds, true reshaper
“And within the smile of dawn.”
“The fixing sky puppeteer”
I am done with your demi-urgency.
Prosaic prayers, litanic leers
Of Eden’s sour progeny.
Art and heaven beyond our father
No litanies restrain my lungs
On coloured curls rides our mother
“In your soul’s colors, over all tongues”
Quoted Poems
I hope you enjoy these beautiful works as much as I enjoyed reading and writing about it.
You can meet some of my other friends in the previous instalments: 38 37 36 35 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Substack has proven to be a treasure trove and I already have a few more gifted writers lined up for my next review newsletter.
P.S Subscribe for your chance to get your work reviewed here!
You can also claim your FREE book of Poetry and art Hypnos Hermes - an epic poem presented as a medieval manuscript. A fantastical story written in verse enriched by many colourful and vibrant artworks.
If you want to keep me in caffeine (and keep the ghostly voices whispering for the poetry side of things) - consider clicking below. For any who do so, you have my deepest gratitude.