Hope I'm not writing about myself here — "Wallowing in Mediocre Obscurity".
Over on BlueSky, I saw the prompt #unpopular and it just SCREAMED for me to do an alliterative piece.
Wallowing in Mediocre Obscurity
By Richard H. Fay
Unappreciated poems
By an unpopular poet
Go unread and unheard
By the general public.
Unseen creations
By an unsung creator
Go unnoticed and unvalued
By the literate crowd.
Unimportant rhymes
By an uninspired rhymer
Go unremarked and uncelebrated
By the bourgeois rabble.
Unexceptional works
By an undistinguished wordsmith
Go unrecognized and unremembered
By an uncaring world.
A Vengeful Monster
By Richard H. Fay
Ravaged by hatred,
Damaged by abuse,
Wronged by humankind,
I seethe in anger.
Bloodied and broken
But still drawing breath,
I become a beast
Feral and savage.
My tormented mind
Forms devilish thoughts.
My tortured spirit
Turns as black as pitch.
This heart transfigures
Into icy shards.
This body transforms
Into a brute’s frame.
Human becomes fiend
Lacking higher grace.
Man becomes monster
Lacking mortal cares.
My fists will deal pain;
My claws will rend flesh;
My teeth will draw blood;
Vengeance will be mine!
The Succubus (2026)
by Richard H. Fay
She stepped out of an incandescent mist
And sealed my fate with an impassioned kiss.
We conceived plans for an eventide tryst
Where I lost my soul to infernal bliss.
Bewitching sparks lit up her ebon eyes.
Luscious lips parted in a lustful grin
As dread shades cavorted in darkened skies
To celebrate my descent into sin.
Naked flesh shivered from her lethal touch.
My doomed soul departed this mortal shell
And slipped into the Devil’s grasping clutch —
Forbidden passions had damned me to Hell!
Fall not for this fiend’s nefarious charms
Or find yourself caught in Lucifer’s arms!
Religious Hypocrites
By Richard H. Fay
Those of hypocritical faith
Praise their heavenly savior
Sent to absolve them of their sins
Through His savage sacrifice,
But forsake His Earthly instructions
And reject His primary principle
By filling their hearts with loathing
Instead of loading those hearts with love.
IMHO, many national and global issues have moved beyond mere politics. They've become human rights issues. One of the rights apparently in question right now is the right to life. People are BEING KILLED for no valid reason. People are DYING.
It's an artist's DUTY to humanity to shine a light on the terrible things being done. Certain humans are treating other humans in a deplorable, and at times lethal, fashion.
There's a reason totalitarian regimes hate freedom of expression and only tolerate artists who function as state propagandists. Artists allowed to express themselves freely will often challenge the lies being told by various government officials. Artists allowed to express themselves freely will often tell the truth.
Whenever the topic of art and politics comes up, I immediately think of Picasso's "Guernica", possibly the greatest anti-war painting in history.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guernica_(Picasso)
It's certainly a powerful piece, and it might be Picasso's greatest achievement. Picasso certainly told a powerful truth in that work.
Crazy-Net Clowns By Richard H. Fay Crazy-net clowns perform their acts Juggling insults and twisting words, Turning discourse into a farce. ...
