The Commercial

“Step right up and order now,”
Cried he with the miracle cleaner on tee-vee.
“It'll clean off anything, I'll show you how.”

“I was as dumb as a cow,
No longer, thanks to this fruit - you see?
Step right up and order now.

But she protested, “we aren't to touch this bough,
It would be a sin, that's key!”
“It'll clean off anything, I'll show you how.”

“Sin,” laughed he, “just use this, I vow;
Spotless and smarter you'll be.
Step right up and order now.

So she, and he too, ate the chow.
They saw the sale 'twas faulty.
“It'll clean off anything, I'll show you how.”

What a trick, but the trick's on thou,
Never listen when they say slyly
“Step right up and order now,
It'll clean off anything, I'll show you how.

Well, this is a bit more substantial than my haiku from last night, although whether it is any good is an entirely different question. I actually thought it up while writing Haiku II last night, but I was too tired to write it out at that point. I guess this could be called a metaphysical poem, although Donne need not worry that I will be taking his place any time soon.

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Late Night Haiku

I
Hear fountain babble,
Time for sleep has grown past due.
Winter dooms crickets.

II
PowerBook hums softly,
The keyboard clicks under fingers.
Look! Ideas form now.

III
My foot numb, asleep.
Pins and needles arise inside.
Sleeping birds care not.

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Foreboding

[Something different for the night of the lunar eclipse.]

Tarrying near craggy cliffs, the clouds loom, Dark night’s fierce watchman peers oft toward the ‘izon.
Eclipséd moon, the curséd fate. Oh, Ilion.
Dread crimson news revealed by a fire ploom,
Tis this that tells the Delphian blind’s tomb.
Sorrow, come forth! Oh see Priam’s ruin.
Foreseen against Atreus’ son, Treason.
Who, save she, would call for the lyre’s glad tune?
Though moon is hidden now, as was that night,
Do flare and seer ordain our brutal fall?
You! Hark Cassandra’s call, fate’s time draws near.
Foreboding hour, escape the dimming light,
Each gets his chance to heed the quiet call.
Run fast beyond the crag and ne’er more veer.

Hopefully this wasn't too cryptic — I have a bad habit of being obscure in sonnets. Also, you'll find a commentary below that explains the scene if I lost you. Before you read it though, how about posting a comment saying what you think it alludes to.

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The Writing in the Shadows

I often set goals that I'd like to accomplish that I know I likely will not. Other goals are long lasting and may not be reached for some time, but hopefully will be reached sometime over the course of months and years. I've written somewhat about this before, but one of those goals is to accomplish a few things with the written word that would be far more meaningful than small articles and commentaries. I mentioned these writings in passing in the last post, but what kind was I referring to? I am glad you asked.

In particular:

• A novel — yes, I'd like to write a great American novel. I've actually started on one, but never had time to take it very far. I have three chapters written as it stands — the first and second chapters of the story are in place, so the basic framework that sets everything in motion is done. I also have one chapter that might be toward the middle of the book, right before the climax of the story.
• A play — I've started one of these too (can you see I have a hard time sticking to one project at a time?). I'd like to write a good tragedy in the tradition of those of past times. A tragedy has a unique and powerful emotional impact and I have some ideas on how I'd like to harness that impact.
• A non-fiction book — I like fiction, although my speciality has been and continues to be non-fiction. I'm just not sure what I'd write here. I know I'm a bit odd for wanting to write a non-fiction book but not knowing what it would be about… but, hey, you already knew I was odd, did you not?
• A collection of sonnets — this is something that needs to accumulate over time, not be done quickly. So, I've started writing them when something occurs that seems like it could be captured well in this form. The sonnet form is challenging, yet its iambic pentameter seems to flow quite naturally for many thoughts. What will I do with these sonnets? I don't know. Maybe they will stay on my hard disk forever, maybe I'll post them online… who knows.

As I said, these are long term goals I cannot begin to complete anytime soon, but inch by inch I come closer to eventually realizing them and I think the process — almost as much as the end result — will make it worthwhile.

Why the title? Well, for one thing, the play and the novel both have a dark tone to them, so they are most definitely on the shadowy side (that also explains why the events I've been whining about this week would be helpful). Also, as I noted, I'm not sure any of these things will ever come off my hard disk, so they are, indeed, in the shadows. If you want to know plots… well, you are just going to have to live with a cliffhanger here — I don't want to spoil the plots!

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