Swato's Squidly Sonnets

[Swatopluk]

A nod to Goya and Füssli

The sun is setting blood red in the West
Now from the East the hosts of shadows creep
The coat of Nyx will soon the landscape sweep
I seek a place my wary head to rest

Gaunt Hypnos is a most unwelcome guest
When reason falls exhausted fast asleep
Dark portals open, chambers in the Deep
Release the demons that the/my soul infest

No Aegis can repel the Stygian mask(s)
Not hardened steel nor sharp obsidian blade
These spectres hurt or lock inside a flask

The night's mares choke the chest with awful weight
Pose to me questions wake sense won't dare ask
Until the cock's crow lets/makes the phantoms fade

[Swatopluk]

The Bow of Ulysses

'Ye suitors, see Ulysses' famous bow
The task I set you is this bow to string
Of these twelve axes not to miss a ring
Whoever wins with him as wife I'll go'

Their hearts rejoiced about the lady's vow
Her husband would in Ithaka be king
But none of them achieved the slightest thing
All tried in vain, their strength was far too low

The beggar rose, beside the bow did kneel
Stringed it with ease then took the archer's stance
The arrow flew the victory to seal

'Ye suitors hear, now starts the final dance
Your lord is back and now with you will deal
Ulysses' bow and old Laërtes' lance'


A rather jumbled fairy tale (part 11)

'The wolf won't eat the cabbage but the goat
So she must be the first to take with me
A quite expensive crossing this will be
In total seven trips with this damn boat'

But once the keel had touched the bank remote
The oar got pushed into his hands with glee
'You're boatman now and I at last am free!'
The old man laughed and then took to the road

From hiding jumped the wolf to free his mate
Before the cabbage could revert to witch
He was upon it howling mad with hate

'Would you have guessed that I am vegan, bitch?
Seems you did not and this will seal your fate
I love a meal that is in fibres rich!'

[Swatopluk]

Just an average day

It's New Year's Eve the second time this war
Not cold enough to damp the rotten stench
Just pouring rain the no man's land to drench
No atmosphere to make our spirits soar

Some miles up north the field howitzers roar
At dawn some Fokkers strafed again our trench
Few days ago Doug Haig replaced John French
The dugout needs some extra planks to floor

The snipers kill on average each night
Of those who can't suppress their urge to smoke
Three that forgot to shield their matches' light

'Back home for Christmas' our leftenant* spoke
'We are superior in our will to fight'
That was before a whizzbang tore the bloke.

*we are British, you know!

[Swatopluk]

The USB stick I used to save my private data from my office computer crashed. On the single occasion when I had to erase the original before being able to transfer the stuff to another safe harddisk!!!
I do not even know exactly what got lost forever as a result.
Part of it was the stuff I posted in these here art threads, so I have to reconstruct it by copy-pasting it back from these pages.
I'll attach the current state (53 sonnets) to this post, so next time it will be less tiresome.

[Swatopluk]

Postapocalyptic Nostalgia

Oh take me to a land where green trees grow
That far and strong their roots and branches spread
Let lush moss carpets serve me as a bed
As lullaby a crystal clear creek's flow

To be away from here where bad winds blow
And nitric acid turns the rain to red
The lakes and rivers? All of them are dead
Cherenkov makes them in the darkness glow

'Before' and 'After', nothing in-between
What really happened on the Day of Doom?
All that is left are dreams of what has been

There was a world that was not filled with gloom
Few are still here that have her wonders seen
And with them goes all mem'ry to the tomb

[Swatopluk]

Ragnarök - Metaphor Overdose (Kenning Overkill)

The Eye of Asgard blows the Gjallarhorn
To call the trees of battle to Tyr's dance
The Muspel sons with twig's foe do advance
The sea steed brings who One-Eyed's horse has born

Now stands united Angrboða's spawn
To nought come now all Gungnir-Wielder's plans
Who ate of Iðunn's apples make their stance
The heirs of Embla have the wound leek drawn

Sif's red-haired mate and Midgard's belt must meet
By Surtur's hand dies swordless Beli's Bane
The cause of iron doth the Rune Lord eat

There Freya's friend and Lacks-right-hand are slain
While both their foes are too black seagull's feed
What Nidhogg gnawed will soot-red cock now gain

Explanation:
Eye of Asgard = the god Heimdall
Tree of Battle = Warrior
Tyr's dance = Battle (Tyr is the god of war)
Sons of Muspel = Fire Giants
Foe of Twigs = Fire
Sea Steed = Ship
The One-Eyed = the god Odin
Odin's horse = Sleipnir
Bearer of Sleipnir = the (male!) god Loki
Angrboða = a giantess, lover of the god Loki
Angrboða's spawn =  the wolf Fenrir, the Midgard Serpent and the underworld goddess Hel
Gungnir = Odin's spear
Gungnir-Wielder = the god Odin
Iðunn = a goddess, keeper of the golden apples of eternal youth
Eater of Iðunn's apples = the gods
Embla = the first human woman (Ask and Embla are the Nordic Adam and Eve)
Embla's heirs = human beings, here: warriors
Wound Leek = sword
Sif = a goddess, wife of Thor
Sif's red-haired Mate = the god Thor
Midgard's belt = The Midgard Serpent that encircles the Earth with her body
Surtur = Leader of the Fire Giants
Beli = a giant slain by the god Freyr
Beli's Bane = the god Freyr who gave his magic sword to his servant Skirnir making himself defenseless
the Cause of Iron = the wolf Fenrir, who created bog-iron by putting his paw onto wet ground; he devours Odin
Lord of Runes = the god Odin; he gets devoured by Fenrir
Freya's friend = the god Heimdall who protects her and her magic jewelry; he and Loki kill each other
Lack-of-right-hand = the god Tyr whose right hand got bitten off by Fenrir; he and the hound Garmr kill each other
Black Seagull = raven
Feed(er) of Raven = (dead) warrior(s)
Nidhogg = a dragon that gnaws at the root of the World Ash Tree Yggdrasill
Soot-Red Cock = the cock in the underwolrd whose crow announces Ragnarök; metaphor for (volcanic) fire

[Swatopluk]

Two Perspectives

Our sea-steed runs, her mouth is white with foam
The swan-street leads us to the bald men's fold
To feed the crows and leave with slaves and gold
It's worthy work in Aegir's realm to roam

I stand on watch to guard the brethren's home
I fear each day the longships to behold
What horrid tales of fiendish foes are told
That come to loot the Holy Church of Rome

Land Ho! ye sons of Heimdall's second night
The helmet wolf shall bite the hairless head
We'll drink bees' ale from worm lair's goblet bright

Oh Christ! They've come who fill our hearts with dread
With blood to drench the true faith's feeble light
Lord, save our souls like you rose from the dead

sea-steed = ship
swan-street = the sea
bald men's fold = monastery
to feed the crows = to kill (humans)
Aegir's realm = the sea
sons of Heimdall's second night = free men (first night = unfree men, third night = noblemen)
helmet wolf = axe
bees' ale = mead
worm's lair = gold

[Swatopluk]

Road Phantoms

Four pallid riders come out of the East
All clad in mail and ashen tattered gown
Their leader, on his head he wears a crown
Have they from the first four seals been released?

They do exude the stench of the deceased
With each of them a ghostly bird comes flown
But on their shields no coat of arms is shown
And on their helmets no heraldic beast

When they draw near just turn around and flee
Let not their gaze rest on your mortal shell
And pray to God they did not come for thee

No priest can help nor candle, book and bell
Should their cold hands or breath touch you or me
At their command the soul must go to hell

[Swatopluk]

Mi-Go

They beat the ether with membraneous wing(s)
The members of that crustacean race
Can travel through the interstellar space
Without the need for airconditioning

To humans they may like the Sirens sing
And then their brains in cylinders encase
Will transport them to Yuggoth, their main base
What happens there? I don't know. That's the thing

Who are they whose mere name gives us the chills?
These fungi with their fleshy pinkish shells
The Mi-Go who possess transhuman skills

On Earth they dig for ore found nowhere else
In hidden mineshafts in the Vermont hills
As the report of Mr. Wilmarth tells

[Swatopluk]

She means 'No', I think

I know that gaze you chauvinistic/phallocratic pig
From what I see you take me for a slut
You keep your filthy hand clear off my butt
Or certain parts of yours receive a kick

Why can you guys think only with your dick
Yes, all that you desire is to rut
Your deepest fears: to get the jewels cut
To find no place your piece of pork to stick

I guess to keep it up you need blue pills
Have I to use a microscope to find
That puny thing you claim your panties fills?

Don't tell me that is not what's on your mind
To have your fun and leave me with the bills
The chance of that is nil, get thee behind

[Swatopluk]

Here comes the rest of the fairy tale at last

A rather jumbled fairy tale (part 13)

The goat aggrieved did in the river drown
And served our friends as hearty midnight feed
Then they discussed how further to proceed
Now that not all but most foes had gone down

'We must at once go forth back to the town
And faster than the news spread be our speed
When Snow White learns what happened, then indeed
She will herself take sceptre, orb and crown'

'Of Snow White I have news', the old dog said
'A tall dark stranger has her under spell
If I am right, by now the two are wed'

'A Balkan accent and the skin quite pale?
When he is angry, do his eyes flash red?
That guy means trouble, that's as sure as hell'

A rather jumbled fairy tale (part 14)

They found Snow White with all the world at peace
Reclined in her glass coffin in the shade
And suckling on a bloodshake freshly made
The life-juice dripped from elongated teeth

Her 'husband' lay right next to her – deceased
But not of natural causes I'm afraid
With head severed from body by a spade
By wooden stakes his vital organs pierced

'Hello guys! Please excuse this awful mess
I had a little quarrel with the Count
The argument got heated, I confess

I guess the princess wishes to be crowned
And needs a priest her carnal bond to bless
For both no doubt solutions can be found'

A rather jumbled fairy tale (part 15)

'Looks like we walked into the lion's den
Do you intend to kill us all by dawn?
And each of us was nothing but a pawn
Don't tell me, all of this has been your plan'

'Well, most of it (a girl does what she can).
With your great help the victory was won
The bad guys are without exception gone
We can go back to normal once again / As for the 'why', this is how it began

I had enough of 'Slut with seven pervs'
And countless 'Puss + Pussy' graffiti
The royal lech got really on my nerves

The magic mirror stepmum/steppie left to me
Allowed me the whole action to observe
Performance-wise you did most brilliantly

A rather jumbled fairy tale (part 16)

So in the end the tale turned out alright
Princess got crowned and wed without delay
She holds the reins of power through the day
While Snow White takes the shift when it is night

For wolf and dog there too was great delight
(By now you should have guessed that they were gay)
The Bremen band did at their wedding play
No wicked fairy anywhere in sight

The ferryman took over the Red Cross
To give Queen 2 a steady blood supply
The royal guard got Blue-Suit as new boss

This tale is true, I cannot tell a lie
Now brush your teeth and don't forget to floss
Then go to bed, I'll sing your/a lullaby

[Swatopluk]

Dual Use

Of bronze are/get bells as well as cannons cast
Comes war, soon will the occupying power
Demand the bells be torn down from the tower
And thrown into the furnace' fiery blast

When guns fall silent and the strife has passed
Like sun must follow thunderstorm and shower
The newborn bells will mark that happy hour
Be peace, be war, at least the bronze will last

Reforged the blade will now the furrow plow
The war scythe will mow down the stalks alone
And round the ramrod see the grape-vine grow

But all too soon the clarion's jarring tone
Announces the return of war and woe
Again will Ares all the iron/metal own

In the last line: iron sounds better but it excludes the bronze the poem started with

[Swatopluk]

Dragon Daydreams

For ages I've been lying on this hoard
It's quite a big one, that should give me pride
Draws in all thieves and heroes far and wide
But honestly, I'm terminally bored

Day in day out guys come with lance and sword
I have lost count how many knights I fried
The job does come with this reptilian hide
Oh that I were an evil overlord

Then virgins I could ravish, not devour
I know all tricks and pitfalls of the trade
In other words, I'd always strike full score

But back to work, there's hoofbeat in the glade
'Welcome brave knight. Tell, have we met before?
Oh let me guess, you're here to test your blade'

[Swatopluk]

I tried coupled sonnets this time but I think I have failed. These are crap from an artistic point of view

Questions

Who in the Southern Ocean lies asleep
Awaits the day that stars again are right?
What faceless thing glides silent through the night
Will down on unsuspecting victims sweep?

From graveyards one can often hear a meep
Who tunnels there? Which grave-defiling wight?
Now name the plateau where in horrid rite
The yellow priest does slaughter men not/like sheep

Who has no brain but sits upon a throne
While flutes are played and unseen drums are beat?
Who speaks for him, by what name is he known?

On whom is called most often when in need?
She would in contest clearly win the crown
No mother that's more fertile one could meet

Answers

Cthulhu dreams though dead down in the Deep
The day is near that he'll arise in might
The Night-gaunts know the trick of soundless flight
They vexed young Lovecraft when he fell asleep

The dog-faced ghoul does into gravesites creep
And drops the gnawed bones from the Thok peaks' height
Unholy fires burn in Leng so bright
Behind silk masks the priest his face does keep

For Azathoth the Mindless speaks alone
Nyarlathotep the master of deceit
The Crawling Chaos in Egyptian gown

Shub-Niggurath, the most fertile indeed
A thousand young the black goat calls her own
Her name we use in prayer, curse and creed


Since it is Friday the 13th once more:

Friday the 13th - Jason Day

Hello, I'm Jason and this is my knife
We haunt the forests round Camp Crystal Lake
The bond twixt us is never goin' to break
My blade and me we are like man and wife

We slash the sluts that do the naked dive
And those that without marriage will love make
Just bein' a teen round here is a mistake
I often die but soon return to life

Hell spat me out where common sinners fry
By Satan's grant my edge it never blunts
I walk the Earth and whom I meet must die

When Friday is the thirteenth of the month
I will be there, again will rise the cry
'He is not dead, mad Jason here he comes!'

[Swatopluk]

Daddy' Darling

My name is Lucy Fer the devil's brat
My daddy is the overlord of hell
But on me you won't find the brimstone smell
Nor do I hide some horns beneath my hat

My amber eyes can outstare any cat
No man resists their dark alluring spell
I play with him/them, leave him/them as/an empty shell
My old man is appreciative of that

I cherish saints for breakfast I admit
And orgies will in nunneries I stage
I am the chief provider of The Pit

The guys up there sing from another page
No wonder that my family did quit
Oh how I love to feed their futile rage