she honey dripping over &
barbed wire kisses hunger
ivory rakes to shivers again
in shibari taut of crimson
dark nails wet glisten
oh lady new moon a sigh
new moon a sigh
13 comments on new moon a sighTo like, click comments or:
new moon a sigh
casting runes — 18feb26
algiz blood flowers left in water
no promises made of safety
every step takes its price
closer to the evermoreA rune poem, based on an Elder Futhark rune selected at random.
Today’s rune is algiz, which may mean either “elk” (there is some uncertainty if this is the case) or yew (Old Norse). It is associated with the Otherworld, protection/sanctuary, and with guardian spirits/fylgja. The unconscious mind is also sometimes associated with algiz.
Please visit my Elder Futhark pages at sceadugenga.com for additional interpretations of the runes based on multiple references and personal reflection.
To like, click comments or:
casting runes — 18feb26
dream harder in dream
handbound at nightfall
hazel at the headwater we
cast out drink up and dream
i can only offer a dream harder
for pan's skies and evermore
a kiss in whispered secrets
dream harder in dreamTo like, click comments or:
dream harder in dream
casting runes — 17feb26
tiwaz i keep putting my arm
into the wolf's maw
expecting to retain all my skin
i continue to be surprised
when i have less in the end
than when i beginA poem prompted by a randomly selected Elder Futhark rune.
Today’s rune is tiwaz, which is named after the Norse god Týr, and the second weekday (Tuesday) is named for the god. According to Norse myth, Týr offers his right hand to the wolf Fenrir, who bites it off when he realizes the gods have used the offering to distract the wolf while they bind him. The rune is typically considered symbolic of honor, loyalty and justice, as well as of sacrifice. It may be representative of discipline and faith. Some interpretations have associated the rune with the North Star.
Please visit my Elder Futhark pages at sceadugenga.com for additional interpretations of the runes based on multiple references and personal reflection.
To like, click comments or:
casting runes — 17feb26
Flash fiction prompt — 17feb26
Photo by Patrick Fore on Unsplash I am sharing those daily flash fiction prompts generated by AI that I personally feel are worth pursuing. Readers are welcome to try their hand at writing based on the prompts generated for this exercise, the goals of which are explained in this post.
Today’s prompt:
Genre: Noir
Subgenre/Theme: Occult Detective / Rainy City Cynicism
Prompt Elements:
- The Neon Confessional: A low-rent detective agency located directly behind a massive, buzzing neon billboard that flickers in a sequence that inadvertently mimics Morse code.
- The Lead-Lined Briefcase: An anonymous client leaves behind a case that is impossibly heavy for its size and remains freezing cold to the touch, even in the sweltering city heat.
- The Silver-Nitrate Source: A cynical morgue photographer who develops crime scene photos using a strange chemical wash that occasionally reveals the last shadow that fell across a victim’s face.
- The Charged Downpour: A localized, three-block radius where the rain carries a faint, static charge. It doesn’t electrocute, but it raises the hair on the back of the neck, makes the air taste sharply of ozone and copper, and leaves a mild, stinging prickle on any exposed skin.
tagged:
filed under:
To like, click comments or:
Flash fiction prompt — 17feb26
casting runes — 16feb26
laguz her river flows
washing over
to carry me home
out across the seaA poem prompted by a randomly selected Elder Futhark rune.
Today’s rune is laguz, which has a core meaning of “lake” and, by extension, may be interpreted as “river”, “ocean”, “sea”, “waterfall” or a general body of water. Some alternative interpretations define as “leek”. Following the more commonly accepted meaning, bodies of water were considered liminal spaces, a place between life and death or the threshold space between which spirit and substance resides. Laguz is often associated with feminine energies and journeys via water.
Please visit my Elder Futhark pages at sceadugenga.com for additional interpretations of the runes based on multiple references and personal reflection.
To like, click comments or:
casting runes — 16feb26
The Wormwood Mason
AI-generated image with refinements by Michael Raven using Gemini agent Erza trudged up the muddy two-wheel track leading to the Vane cabin, making sure to cover his bound notebook under his slicker to keep it dry. The rough path was greasy with the steady drizzle of rain that had arrived at Wormwood the same day as he had. He had despaired of driving the last quarter-mile to the cabin immediately upon seeing the conditions from the two-lane, shoulder-less county road that passed by the homestead. When choosing his rental car, he had emphasized economy over practicality. He regretted, not the first time on this expedition, that he had not rented something with four-wheel drive for a trek into the heart of Appalachia.
(more…)tagged:
filed under:
To like, click comments or:
The Wormwood Mason
casting runes — 14feb26
raido who is ridden
when horse & rider flow?
eventide at black sands
waves upon the shoreA poem prompted by a randomly selected Elder Futhark rune.
Today’s rune is raido, which has been translated as “ride” and the implied “journey”. This may be spatial and literal in practice (a physical journey), or it may be more figurative (an inner/shamanic journey, i.e., útiseta). The rune is associated with cyclic motion and the movement of the sun. Some consider the journey represented by raido to be that of returning.
Please visit my Elder Futhark pages at sceadugenga.com for additional interpretations of the runes based on multiple references and personal reflection.
To like, click comments or:
casting runes — 14feb26
Where’s the prose?
Okay, I’ll admit. I’m still working on the prompt from 12 February, and it might not be done until tomorrow. And, I’ll probably break my target limit for length on this one. You can’t win them all.
Unlike most of the prompts that I’ve worked on that feel like they fit nicely into the <2000 word limit, this one feels like it needs to breathe and be allowed more space to be told. I don’t think I’ll exceed 3000 words, but it may get to that if I need to. Three hours of brainstorming and researching elements of the story and two hours into writing, I am 1600 words into it. I think this feels beefier than the other tales because it fits into my wheelhouse a little better. Appalachian Gothic vibes very close to the pulp horror that I’ve always found to be a big influence in my writing (when not swooning over Kafka or Salinger). This story has more elements of the atmospheric to it, which take up more space.
I’m still plugging away and hope to have something posted by tomorrow (at the latest), earlier if possible.
But now, I need coffee and to start making dinner soon.
To like, click comments or:
Where’s the prose?
hidden
they write your name on a cup
then the cup is crushed, discarded
in another gesture to a refuse kind of day
hiding behind closed doors with
all feathers turned to vane, whispering
wishes breathlessly to the dim
they will not know these ever for
love lies bleeding in the snow
rapiers quivering, too late for regretsTo like, click comments or:
hidden
