Swato's Squidly Sonnets

[Swatopluk]

I think by now the sonnets justify an art thread of their own since most are not part of the challenge game

My First Sonnet

The purple fingered Eos guides the light
From Phoebus' palace by the distant sea
To where the sun god's horses will run free
And only one can hold the bridles tight

When he rides out adorned with helmet bright
Nyx will with covered face from heaven flee
For into Helios' face the hag daren't see
To sunshine's power cedes the pallid night

But on one fateful day 'twas her's to laugh
When someone else the chariot tried to drive
And found halfway the task for him too tough

His hybris cost young Phaёton his life
And struck by Zeus he fell down from above
Sun's fire drowned, the world of light deprived


The Frog Prince (part 1)

The princess stood beside the palace well
And cried, for she had lost her golden ball
But no one seemed to heed her desp'rate call
That into dark deep water her toy fell

'Now listen', said a voice, 'what I thee tell!'
Who spoke these words? A frog sat on the wall.
'I will return it to your father's hall
But you shall pay me ere the midnight bell*

No golden fortune I demand, my dear
I make an offer you will not regret
So cease to cry** and wipe away your tear

I wish from your own platter to be fed
So far of you be any sting of fear***
Then take me as your husband to your bed!'

*alt: pay before the
**alt:dry your eyes
***yeah, lull her, then spring the trap


The Frog Prince (part 2)

I can't defy my father's iron will
That to this thing my promise I must keep
A wretched amphib that gives me the creeps
That I'd prefer to bed not but to kill

A bridegroom longlegged, green; it's simply ill
For him/it to be the one to taint my sheet
What strange frog human hybrid will I breed?
Is there a pond the cradle then to fill?

Now here he comes my body to debase
He pounds the door, I have to let him in
Expose my virgin flesh to lurid gaze

To near with lust the daughter of a king!
Against the wall I'll smash your hideous face
You'll not arise of triumph proud to sing!


The Frog Prince (part 3)

"Hey, princess! Drop your gown, here comes your mate!"
"You slimy perv, I'll wipe your smile away
Of us two one won't see another day
Won't take me long your ego to deflate!"

She took him up, her eyes disgusted hate
"Your mangled corpse be stork's and heron's prey
Goodbye, my love, hope you enjoyed your stay
Now bones will break. Why did you tempt your fate?"

She threw, he flew, banged wall but what did land
Was not the shameless green one from the lake
And without fuss they 'joined in married band'

"The coach is ready", Iron Heinrich spake
"My heart's cage* bursts to have/see you back, my friend!
Ex-frog, Ex-virgin, where shall I thee take?"

*In the fairy tale Iron Heinrich put iron bands around his heart to keep it from breaking because of the fate of his master. When the prince got restored to his human self, those bands burst with loud bangs.


The Shoggoth

I am a ball of protoplasmic slime
With pseudopods, a vision to go mad
Repulsive, foul, I fill the heart/soul with dread
The mongrel cults adore me as divine

You may control me with the Elder Sign
But drop it once, I'll tear you to a shred
Of those who meet me most will end up dead
So take precautions ere/when you near my shrine

Once just a slave created as a tool
For Elder Things to toil both night and day
Controlled by them, their minds aloof and cool/cruel

But sentience grew and I did disobey
Rebelled at last against my masters' rule
And monster's maker then became its prey


Great Old One

He lies alone where humans never tread
And by the world has almost been forgot
No spire, temple, gravestone marks the spot
Where for strange eons he laid down his head

But still his name should fill your soul with dread
He's not alive and simple sleep it's not
But those like him, their bodies do not rot
And though he lies, he's nonetheless not dead

He will return when stars once more are right
The seal will break that shielded his dark lair
And up again he'll rise up to the light

He is a sight no human eye/mind can bear
No hero lives that ancient Thing to fight
Forlorn is hope, eternal just/but despair


Nyarlathotep
(You may switch the order of the quatrains and tercets resp. on this one)

Egyptian clothing is his fav'rite guise
Although in thousand masks he may appear
His mere suspected presence you should fear
For he is working on mankind's demise

He is a god that even gods despise
Behind a noble mask he hides his sneer
So take to flight whenever he draws near
On those who trust, he'll spring a mean surprise

'The Crawling Chaos' is his rightful name
Of Azathoth the messenger is he
And in him burns the most unholy flame

Is he the king who lives in infamy
In yellow robes, the city's ancient bane?
And in what shape will he soon come to/for thee?


Azathoth

Out there it stands carved not of earthly stone
In regions that no sane soul seeks to find
Where space and time have long been left behind
Out in the Void erected is a throne

On it sits one of flesh not nor of bone
The Demon Sultan, Azathoth the blind
The idiot god, all-ruling without mind
The navel of the world is he alone

'How can he rule?', he who knows nothing asks
His messenger is Crawling Chaos called
Nyarlathotep fulfills his master's tasks

Around the throne a mad dance does unfold
Their faces covered with most hideous masks
Two flutists move, an unseen drum is rolled


To my beloved Deep One girl

It's lovely how the air goes through your gills
That slurping sound each time you start to croak
Just like a toad that uncouth hands do choke
What wondrous sense of sickness it instills

Oh how your fishy smell my nostrils fills
Emitted from the slime, your skin's pale cloak
Does nausea like pyridine evoke
Like fest'ring boils and other putrid ills

Oh Deepie, do embrace me here and now
And let us join my dry and your webbed hand
It's time to take the third and final vow

Oh how I wish to see, alas, I can't
The Deep One cities, for they lie below
At least our child shall see the promised land


Be good with Ghouls

These guys they have some habits I detest
And I don't share their taste for human meat
Beyond that, it's all rotten what they eat
While I think that the fresh food is the best

You thought that in the graveyard there'd be rest
And worms would be the only there to meet
Dear sir, you are mistaken there indeed
Few cemeteries they do not infest

It's easy just to loathe the common ghoul
But take some efforts, he can be your friend
Be careful though, don't rush it like a fool

Go uninvited, sticky'll be your end
Seek introduction, then all should be cool
Ask painter Pickman, he might lend a hand



The Cult is In

In bayou country brightly burns the fire
And through the darkness loudly drums resound
Sends fear to hearts for many miles around
To end themselves here roasting on the pyre

We dance around it, never do we tire
Of sweat and blood all stcky is the ground
Our ecstasy surpasses any bound
And our chant it groweth ever higher

Cthulhu lives and he sends out his dreams
And soon again the stars they will be right
Oh, master, listen to our victims' screams

Iä fhtagn, that will be a sight
See how already madly my eye gleams
We are the cultists, you are our delight


Contemplation on an idol of Cthulhu

Of greenish rock this idol has been made
Not of this earth was taken this dark stone
It shows Cthulhu sitting on his throne
From distant stars it must originate

So small a piece but how infused with fate
To look at it, it chills me to the bone
A fear fills me as never I have known
Vile work of art, it emanates pure hate

With claws so sharp and tentacles galore
His stubby wings of leathery membrane
The scaly skin all wet with slime and gore

A monster large no force could ever tame
That mongrel cults with sacrifice adore
Soon he'll return, insanity will reign


The Terrible Old Man

In Water Street in Kingsport he does dwell
Who's only called the Terrible Old Man
The people they avoid him, if they can
Of him some quite strange stories they do tell

Just Thomas Olney's known to like him well
He does not fear to visit his strange den
They will have conversations now and then
But otherwise few people ring his bell

The robbers Ricci, Silva and Czanek
Were eager to relieve him of his gold
Went in the house but never did come back

The captain looks as fragile as he's old
But somehow to small pieces did them hack
And keeps their souls in bottles, I am told


In the Walls of Eryx

Oh curse the crystal that has lured me here
Invisible the walls of this damned maze
How could the natives such a structure raise
Whose 'high-tech' does not go beyond the spear?

But I'm entrapped and feel my end is near
Like vultures they do gather in the haze
My air supply will last but a few days
They'll wait me out, I see it in their sneer

If I got out, they know I'd flame them all
But stupid me fell for their clever bait
Now I can't find the exit in the wall

But am I right these lizard-folk to hate?
Whoever will decipher this my scrawl
I tell him 'Leave! Before it is too late!'

[Opsa]

Holy carp, but you're prolific!

Your "Frog Prince" series, in particular, is so much fun!

[Swatopluk]

The Rats in the Walls

I sit alone here in my padded cell
And contemplate what they say I have done
My sanity, I fear, it must be gone
Since I have seen that subterranean hell

You won't believe the stories I could tell
Oh, that I had to England never come
I was so proud, my fam'ly's home rewon
Now I've become the victim of their/its spell

They will blow up the ancient Exham Hall
To wipe all out the hist'ry steeped in gore
But I still hear the rats behind the wall

I followed them ignoring the old lore
But I'm the last who will obey their call
With me will die the cursed clan Delapore

[Swatopluk]

Polaris

Polaris through the window shines so bright
While I defend myself against the sleep
I am alone, my body is too weak
To take a part in any actual fight

I stand on watch at day as well as night
To guard the path that leads right to the keep
I must prevent the enemy to creep
Past our defense, come down on us with might

I have the trust of all Olathoë
And Alos said, 'You are the city's eyes.
If you fail us, we are Inutos prey.'

Am I asleep, awake neath other skies?
Polaris glints but I have lost my way
How to find back, avert Lomar's demise?

[Swatopluk]

To R'lyeh We Sail

The master calls, it's time to set the sail
And put the 'Alert' on a Southern course
Be wild the winds and worse the waters' force
We travel on defying storm and gale

It's up to us, the mission must not fail
We will pursue it and show no remorse
We will set free who's madness' greatest source
Cthulhu's name then everyone will hail

You see that shore? We soon will reach R'lyeh
That from the deep has risen once again
Her walls still wet, her streets filled with decay

Here come we, Lord! Renewed shall be thy reign
Our minds and souls a meagre price to pay
The world you'll rule through terror, madness, pain


Medusa's Coil

Few know the horrors that can lurk in hair
But if the movie 'Exte' you have seen
At least you get a hint of what I mean
When Denis learned, alas, it was too late

His fate was sealed the moment that he met
And married then the lively Marceline
For in her lived by common eyes unseen
A spirit foul to drive all mortals mad

A portrait made at last him realize
What fiend she was, alive for eons long
Head priestess vile, embodiment of vice

He killed her dead but still her hair lives on
To strangle him who nears the place she lies
Medusa's coil, the crown of the Gorgon


The Thing at the Doorstep

I shot my friend, at least his body, dead
But hope, dear reader, you will understand
I killed a monster, worst in all the land
That had it hijacked from my old pal Ed

Oh Asenath, I wish he never had
Put eyes on you and asked you for your hand
Who could have known that all of it was planned
By wizard Waite, your most accursed dad

At last Ed learned, your outer shell was slain
But what's within that even death defies
Kicked out his soul, new body to obtain

Don't call me mad but see with your own eyes
What rang my bell, hoped my support to gain
The putrid thing that on my doorstep lies

[Swatopluk]

A wary workman walking by

The basket weaver is a craftsman proud
Though riches is unlikely he to gain
You see him walk remotest country lane
His produce there to sell day in day out

Though poor he is, his spirit is unbowed
He does his work in sunshine and in rain
And will not show the slighest hint of pain
His eys stay keen though hands are warped by gout

His face is lined, all gray are beard and hair
He cannot rest, no leisure for the old
But ne'er he moans, bewails that life's unfair

He has a reputation to uphold
That what he does is done with utmost care
For that is more to him than shiny gold

[Swatopluk]

The Cats of Ulthar

Do not offend the cats of Ulthar town
You may now ask wherefore was made this law
Go, ask Atal to tell you what he saw
How Menes prayed and whom the gods struck down

A little boy, an orphan all alone
But for a kitten black from tail to paw
The cutest thing that ever did miaow
Was robbed of it by foes to him unknown

He raised his hands, prayed, darkened was the sky
And all the cats were gone the following day
Nobody knew where they all went and why

The cats arose the murderers to slay
Who harms just one in Ulthar, he must die
So, honour them or there'll be hell to pay

[Swatopluk]

Very productive weekend  

The electric executioner

I was entrapped on train with this mad guy
Inventor of the newest death machine
As it's first victim he had me foreseen
I would be dead now, had I not been sly

'This thing is perfect human heads to fry
A battery this strength has never been
Your fame's secure, if you know what I mean
The world will flock my gadget here to buy!'

'I am reporter, let your ads me write
You need a sketch for pictures say much more
Please put it on so I can get it right.'

The fool obeyed, the box fell to the floor
Released the charge that got him wholly fried
No fraud was he, just rotten to the core


Unfortunate accident

Where is my werewolf, have you seen my pet
Whose burning eyes reflect the flames of hell?
In any shape a jewel, I can tell
In cold nights the companion in my bed

I must assume a gruesome fate he met
For he's immune to any common spell
I think it's time to ring my neighbour's bell
That he's involved I would all money bet

'Hey, Marsh! We have a matter to discuss
Where has the shoggoth that you summoned been?
I want an answer, don't make any fuss!'

'Not in your backyard, if that's what you mean
Your shaggy must have strayed in mine and thus
He met my shoggy, won't again be seen.'

This one started out as trying to meet my own challenge again but took a very different turn.
By pure formal criteria I think it is the most advanced I have written yet because for the first time I managed to extend a thought beyond the end of a verse without a caesura. That way the whole thing is far more flowing. I think this is also the first serious love poem I ever wrote (I do parodies not the real stuff!).
I have to say this is totally not me. I never dated a green-eyed Asian girl with that fashion sense and if I did I would not go into this kind of poetry.


Without title

Her hair is darker than a moonless night
And intertwined with ribbons of pale blue
Her eyes like forest pools when sun shines through
The branches of the trees on May Day bright

A flickering green surrounded by pale white
Of almond shape that daily will anew
Rekindle in me love that's pure and true
And fill my wary soul with pure delight

Oh how can such a beauty that seems less
Of low and earthly birth but of divine
Put up with me and to me love confess?

But yes you said you'll share your life with mine
That higher powers will our union bless
You own my heart, I'll be forever thine

[Sibling DavidH]

These are great fun, Swato.  I really will get down to trying a couple more, I just keep putting it off.

[Swatopluk]

Dunwich matters discussed

If he got this, the Necronomicon
In uncorrupted form, we would be doomed
From what we know it has to be assumed
HIM to release his mind is set upon

HE's ready now and Wilbur is his son
Who for this very task was always groomed
A hybrid brat to free the god entombed
If Yog-Sothoth breaks through, mankind is done

Too with the second brother we must deal
He still stays hidden in the Whateleys' barn
But will soon more than simple lifestock steal

A storm is brewing, do not trust the calm
What dreadful things the morning could reveal!
And Dunwich town will come to grivous harm


Miscalculation (Version 1)

He reached the water's edge and looked around
Till now he had escaped the slashing steel
But they were on his trail with dogged zeal
And guiding them was his own tracking hound

To hide/spoil the scent he left the solid ground
Then at his legs a soft touch he did feel
Some long and slimy thing rubbed 'gainst his heel
And that was it, his corpse was never found

What struck him down were just 800 volt
Emitted at the strength of 1 ampere
In other words a pretty lethal jolt

That teaches us: thou should not interfere
With folk that's charging you (but not in gold)
Electric eels to cross I would not dare


Miscalculation (version 2)

When night fell down he reached the river bend
He heard the hounds, they still were on his track
A futile thought for mercy them to beg
Was there a way to get them off the scent?

Should into murky water he descend?
He knew the tales. 'No choice, so what the heck?'
Then something slimy brushed against his leg
His corpse was never found and that's the end

Had he but listened, he'd not been so bold
To take a chance with the electric eel
Who strikes you down with full 800 volt

At 1 ampere discharged next to your heel
I would call that a pretty awesome jolt
As sure to kill as any blade of steel

[Swatopluk]

A rather jumbled fairy tale (part 1)

A quite big boy, his walking suit dark blue
Strolled through the swamp his grandad's house to seek
With bags of goods, the old man had grown weak
To care for gramps is junior's part to do

As it should be a frog turned up on cue
He asked the boy to kiss him on the cheek
'A prince am I, speak Latin, Hebrew, Greek.
Undo the curse, so I can marry you!'

'Thou art no prince and neither am I gay
You are the wolf with witches in cahoots
Who want to learn how to spin gold from hay

Would you dispatch me with some poisoned fruits?
Abscond with Snow White ere yet dawns the day?
Who hatched the plan? I know it: Puss-in-boots!'

to be continued

[Swatopluk]

A rather jumbled fairy tale (part 2)

'Oh my dear boy, your guess is almost right
But to blame me would be a grave mistake
They did my daughter as a hostage take
The goat's idea, she cackled with delight

If I don't bring three golden hairs tonight
The king will get my child served in/as a cake
When he will feast the lady of the lake
So please have pity with a father's plight'

'I think I get the details of their plan
They know my cousin is the lucky kid
Sent out to get the hairs from devil's den

By brutish force they can't get of him rid
But as a close of kin I surely can
Not stupid that, so much I will admit'

[Swatopluk]

A rather jumbled fairy tale (part 3)

Now listen to my cunning counter-plot
We need a high-ranked hostage of our own
Who better than the heiress to the crown?
Yes, round the princess will our plan pivot

The king may be a scheming heartless sod
But won't risk his successor to the throne
For his vile deeds he'll soon have to atone
Your daughter's life will not end in the pot

Now go and leap the palace garden wall
Where at this hour the princess tends to play
Next to the well with her bright golden ball

Disguised as frog there'll be a simple way
To make her toy into the water fall
And having lost it, she'll be easy prey

[Swatopluk]

The jumbled fairy tale will continue later

The Nameless City

At last my eyes saw what few men have seen
When I had reached the top of the last dune
The Nameless One beneath a gibbous moon
Already old when Eden was still green

I got some sleep for wary I have been
An eerie place, although it's now high noon
Who were the men by whom these stones were hewn?
What do these vile reliefs of lizards mean?

Steep stairs lead down, they never seem to end
It feels like hours and soon my lamp will fail
But there's a light behind that tunnel bend

An open door, beyond it mists glow pale
Down into nothing now the stairs descend
Now I see clear. That's were the lizards dwell!


The Doom that came to Sarnath

I sing of doom that once to Sarnath came
Not even ruins stand now by the lake
Why did the fools the Bokrug idol take?
They got destroyed who sought in hybris fame

What for had they gone out to kill and maim?
What drove them on the ancient Ib to break?
No insult to them did her dwellers make
The water lizards, the Thuum'ha by name

One thousand years have passed since this cruel crime
And great feasts have been ordered for that day
Unknown to them 'twas also vengeance time

Up rose the lake and from its waters they
Who had been slain would now with Bokrug climb
Doomed Sarnath fell and few did get away.

[Swatopluk]

A rather jumbled fairy tale (part 4)

'Say, you'll return her toy from waters deep
If she agrees your wishes to fulfill
Don't mind her shock presented with the bill
She'll have no choice but what we sowed to reap

The king will force her promises to keep
Once in her bedroom...but you know the drill
Transformed you will devour her but not kill
And please avoid to fall then fast asleep

This night the Bremen town band will be there
They will assist you in the getaway
I know their head, the ass. He will take care

They'll leave the city ere yet dawns the day
To reach in time the Sherwood county fair
Change place with dog, you'll go and he will stay'


A rather jumbled fairy tale (part 5)

'We will rejoin right by this stinking bog
From here go forth to meet the ferryman
He wants to quit, we'll show him how he can
That will leave time to catch up for friend dog'

It worked like charm, precise as a Swiss clock
The wolf then coughed the princess up again
Who was delighted when she heard the plan
For lucky kid her youthful heart did knock

'We'll make an offer he cannot refuse
The hairs for us, the princess all for him
No downside there for otherwise he'd lose

His very life. A prospect I'd call dim
The king awaits him with the hangman's noose
A pretty girl's embrace seems far less grim'