My neighbor's yard was lush and edenic--from the lawn to the bushy, flower-ringed borders. Furry fauna and feathery songbirds were drawn to it.
My own yard was a blasted heath, resembling a place of torment, hedged by skeletal plants, a land abandoned by the gods.
#vss365#lawn
Poets have long adored cats & corvids. Well-schooled in death, they carry in their maws the secret to life. So I have become a servant-to-hunters and a #feeder_of_ravens, filling their dishes with trolls & critics, agent wishlists & three-page formatting guidelines.
#vss365 😉😄
'I am Ravnak, #Feeder_of_Ravens. I have travelled for many moons and drunk the blood of my enemies, who I have slain with my trusty war axe on this long and perilous journey.'
'Hello, nice to meet you. I'm Beryl. Pisces. So, is this your first time speed dating, Ravnak?'
#vss365
The trees are waking, the ronin said. Last year's grass tells of warriors' dreams. Feeders_of_ravens rise from the muddy fields.
#vss365#feeder_of_ravens
I run til
My feet are raw
Yet I’ve found
No haven
Better find
Safety soon
Or be
#Feeder_of_ravens
I flee cuz
I killed the King
For acts
Foul & craven
Stole my child
& kept her in
Cage he keeps
His slaves in
He’s headless—
I’ve no regrets
Grasping knife
That slayed him
#vss365
Who is the #feeder_of_ravens? The warrior, once upon a time, whether with his own body or the bodies of his foes, but perhaps you have a less (or more) grim construction of this kenning.
#vss365#prompt
Long-time listener, first-time caller here, folks! At long last I will get to host #vss365 March 1-15th. My prompts will drop at 6 am UTC. Huge thanks to
@_LimaZulu for a terrific two weeks!
If you've never heard of kennings, stay tuned- we're going to bring March in like a lion!
Nostalgia is a lens that distorts the truth underneath memory.
How much of these last two weeks has been true is hard to say; though it's definitely been my story.
And as I said at the start, I have always been a storyteller.
Your #vss365 prompt for Feb 29th is #anemoia.
🧵
I have always been a storyteller.
In 3rd grade I wrote Dwarf Island and my teacher had it bound.
The librarian put it on the shelf so other kids could sign it out.
Thank you to all the teachers out there helping the smalls feel big.
Your #vss365 prompt for Feb 16th is #dwarf.
Kids get locked up in all kinds of ways: sometimes with care & cotton, sometimes with cruelty & neglect. Those folks whose brief attentions encapsulate an eternal #parole save lives in ways they never know: kind teachers, crazy aunts, weird neighbors. Be an escape.
#vss365
Everyone at the prisoners’ wives support group clapped when I said his application for #parole was successful.
“But I don’t want him released!” I cried.
“Just bring him along here, dear,” they said. “We’ll pop him in with the others.”
The men in the cage smiled & waved.#vss365
"Drink up, me hearties! Parole comes but once a year," shouted the sergeant, before glugging at a bottle of rum and passing it to our corporal.
Welcome to the penal battalion, sentenced to 20 years of latrine-digging, interspersed with bloody combat on distant planets.
#vss365
Food wins. Let me explain. Marrying Velma will be like serving Life without parole, my friends warned. She’s a warden, she's a drill sergeant, she’s Gordon Ramsay with a Ginsu ready to castrate & hold your manberries for ransom.
Ya, but have you ever tasted her cobbler?
#vss365