M is for Map

Solid, making your way in the direction of home You create homes wherever you settle Once you’re there, you start to grow roots Getting stuck in one place, making your imprint Casting shadows you refuse to acknowledge Never wishing to move from your spot It’s others who get you moving The families you create with lovers and friends The shadow childings you raise as your own Refusing to admit there’s anything strange about them Or any of the places you’ve turned into a home Whether you’re at a temple or a cottage Your families always turn away Falling into pools of sparkling lost color Opening Doors in the center of stone circles You’ve lost and found family beyond the Door Now the shadows reach for you and your boys Tempting your children to become shadows themselves Accepting roles as The Hand and the Eye of the Tower You warn them not to listen to weathered stone’s whisper Knowing your warnings are probably in vain While you plant both feed in the earth Making yourself strong and solid Hoping your loved ones will do the same.

L is for Leiwell

Born of the shadowy green Flower of desire, devouring dissolute seekers of power Artistic ambition and sentimental passion You imbue these things with an obedient appetite Devoting yourself to master and family No matter what they might truly be, they are yours You are the guardian, creating a haven between reality and shadow Taking on the burden of both so your brothers stay innocent You’re willing to pay the price of that innocence Your brothers are no longer willing to watch you pay Even your master is taken aback by your self-sacrifice A zeal which could turn upon him for his own sake My Tool, My Treasure is how he sees you One is becoming more important than the other Watching you dwindle, disappear in plain sight Swallowed by the vortex of good intentions.

K is for Kevin

You’re just a fresh, freckled face with a cheerful smile Serving drinks at the bar of The Tipsy Hedgehog Offering support and strength to Aggie Every time she casts a wistful glance at the sword Momento of her life as an adventurer she refuses to hide Now there’s Trouble at Caerac Keep, the sword is quite tempting Too many regulars keep disappearing, no longer stopping by Falling prey to a mysterious illness which could be a vampire bite You offer a prayer of thanks to the Unicorn that Rhodry is still well The Goddess looks after the Serpent-Born, no matter what Faith says Exotic and menacing with his golden hair and delicate features You secretly find them beautiful regardless of what folks mutter You haven’t the boldness to speak to Rhodry too often Not with everything that’s happening, plus you’ve got secrets of your own Now the trouble is reaching out of the night, out of your past Reaching with bloody claw and fang to snatch you from your quiet life You can no longer look away from the darkness at the door and smile When the darkness is creeping in, coming for you.

J is for Jupitre

Once you were the greatest of the great The power of the lightning bolt came alive in your hands You cast down the monsters who’d devour you Raising yourself to lofty heights Taking the woman closest to you as your bride Taking whomever struck your fancy, willing or no Once your worshippers trembled, now they dwindle You have dwindled along with them Cast to the the earth, reduced to a mere man The slave of she whom you once ruled All you dream of is getting your power back No one fears or respects you any longer What are earthy delights compared to heavenly ones? How can these mortal creatures smile, hope? They are mysteries to you, perhaps they’ve always been Why else would you come to their world and dally with them When you have all the delight and power of the heavens? Of course you seek a Door to your desire Leading you back to what you were You fear being amongst these frail mortal dreams Fear getting close to them, weeping their tears Their sweat reveals a secret you can almost taste A secret that you’re not ready to learn. A Godling for Your Thoughts? All your thoughts are lost wishes Reaching out for something constantly out reach.

I is for Iama

Hiding within your palace of gold Gold is your only enduring companion Luring the princesses into your hall of mirrors Only to have them hand you your heart You’d almost forgotten it existed Growing on a tree’s branch in the forgotten darkness You mighted have warned that brash young girl Daring to seize your name, cry it in jest She’s as far from being you as she’s ever been Laughing with her princesses, rolling in the grass Even though they’re not really princesses It’s all storybook nonsense It’s when she denies you that she’s closest to being you Denying stories, denying her friends Hiding behind her desk in an office in a factory You may be just the enchantress in a story She may be just a manager in a factory You’ve both surrounded yourselves with walls Absorbed in the pursuit of gold or gain Cutting yourselves off from your hearts At odds with those who wish to love you They’re not ready to give up on you Even as you enclose yourself in isolation They’re coming for you within your walls Bearing magic, memories, and miracles Pitting those things against your hollow goals Betting that the better part of you will win Toys embody the heart of your conflict Crying the challenge Wind Me Up, One More Time Daring you to remember what you have forgotten. If you’d like to meet Iama the Terrible and the young girl who took her name (Maia), here are buy links to their story, Wind Me Up, One More Time… Mischief Corner Books/Shenanigans Press: https://www.mischiefcornerbooks.com/wind-me-up-one-more-time.html#/ Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B081LPX2WH/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Wind+Me+Up%2C+One+More+Time&qid=1573974211&s=books&sr=1-1 Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/wind-me-up-one-more-time Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wind-me-up-one-more-time-ks-trenten/1134959345 Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1488235515?fbclid=IwAR1_ox2T5jIHibPFBHUqTck0SNaP3pcZIgNM4DS3VAjU47mn3o5iu260bMA

H is for Hector and Harold

One of you is a warrior Determined to defend your glory, your honor Never allowing the shame of love between Aissa and Polyxena to sway you You’re determined and unconquerable as Troy’s walls A rock of tradition, standing tall The other thinks he’s the Fairest for all he’s far from it For all his rings, titles, and pretenses For one of you, honor is a thing you were born with Something you fight to hold onto through blood and sweat For the other, honor is yours by right of birth One you’re gracious enough to share with anyone you speak to Family is important to both of you, but is it more than a formality? The trappings of title and honor you were born to? You’re not without familal sentiment yet prejudice clouds your vision Ideas of what’s right and proper obscuring your heart Leaving each of you blind to what exists in others As you stumble across the landscape in a conflict you cannot win.

G is for Grace

Lonely without realizing it Wishing for a stuffed bear to squeeze Losing your mamas, your sister again and again Trying to keep Maia from becoming too terrible You see magic all around you Your wish is granted in Theodora Bear She becomes your companion Speaks to you in the secret language Only children and stuffed animals can hear You’re less alone when you’re with her She’s there for you as long as you believe Wind Me Up, One More Time she growls She’ll tell you a tale to cheer you up Show you things most people don’t believe You can only see them if you believe in them Theodora Bear can only help if you believe in her It’s hard to believe growing up and away Seeing others caught in the gears Trapped in their own industry Stories aren’t just stories for all they’re laughed at Hidden warnings lurk in every tale Laugh at them, but take care not to ignore them Even as you grow up and away Deciding how up and away you wish to be And how much magic you’d like to remain. Curious about Grace? Want to get to know her better? Here are some buy links to Wind Me Up, One More Time, the story she comes from… Mischief Corner Books/Shenanigans Press: Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B081LPX2WH/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Wind+Me+Up%2C+One+More+Time&qid=1573974211&s=books&sr=1-1 Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/wind-me-up-one-more-time Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wind-me-up-one-more-time-ks-trenten/1134959345 Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1488235515?fbclid=IwAR1_ox2T5jIHibPFBHUqTck0SNaP3pcZIgNM4DS3VAjU47mn3o5iu260bMA