NEW POEM "Divide and Conquer"

 

Background is a public domain image of the Official U.S. 12th Army position map at 2400 on D-Day.

 

Divide and Conquer

By Richard H. Fay

Key strategic concepts
In the war being waged
Against modern society:

Confuse and miseducate.
Deceive and misinform.
Confound and misguide.
Delude and aggravate.

Enthrall and agitate.
Beguile and demean. 
Enrage and inflame.
Besiege and infuriate.

Upset and violate. 
Distress and misuse.
Unsettle and subvert.
Disturb and humiliate.

Subdue and intimidate.
Repress and silence.
Suppress and constrain.
Restrain and dominate.

Disjoin and subjugate.
Segregate and enslave.
Disunite and vanquish.
Separate and annihilate.

Divide and conquer.

NEW ART: "lemures and Larvase: Shadows of the Departed

 

Poem "Tormented by Shadows of the Departed"

 

Tormented by Shadows of the Departed

By Richard H. Fay

Larvae slither across my floor at night. 

Lemures whisper taunts in my ears. 

Specters trouble my sleep with their moans. 

Ghosts haunt my dreams with their groans. 

My tortured existence is forever haunted 

By the shades of those who have come before.

Cinquain "The Sheerie"

 

The Sheerie

by Richard H. Fay

Lambs lost
from Christian fold
bewitch with corpse-light brands,
jealously leading the living
to death.

(Originally published November 2009 in the webzine Aphelion)

NEW POEM "Depression's Cycle"

 

Depression's Cycle

By Richard H. Fay

Trapped in rumination's loop,
Caught by contemplation's coils,  
Ensnared in depression's cycle 
Of reflections dim and tainted,
Of introspections gloomy and grim,
Of perceptions murky and dark,
Of notions severe and sorrowful,
Of emotions sombre and stark,
I crave action to escape my plight,
To claw my way back into the light.

NEW POEM "The Devil and the Saint"

 

The Devil and the Saint

By Richard H. Fay

A lying, thieving philanderer,
A foolishly fickle pharisee
Paying lip-service to piety,
Harangues an honestly holy man.

A priestly personage preaching peace,
A figure of firm faith and frank words
Soundly scolds the scurrilous scoundrel
For his hatreds and hypocrisies.

A quarrelous clown questing power,
A vulgar villain pursuing praise
By waging wars and begetting woes,
Squabbles with a truly saintly soul.

A clergyman of clear conviction,
A churchman lauding both love and light,
Castigates the creature of chaos
For spreading sorrow and suffering.

A pantaloon paints himself as Christ
While dealing devilish destruction.
A devote devotee of Christ’s ways
Makes the malefactor look a moron.

NEW/REVISED POEM "Stop and Start"

Revised and expanded a poem I wrote earlier this year, "Stop and Start", and rendered a background for it using GIMP.
I strengthened the stormy metaphor a bit and also tried to make it a little more inspirational, thus "Start being / An unstoppable force of change."

Stop and Start

By Richard H. Fay

Stop waiting
For our institutions to save us.
Stop hoping
That our legislators will rescue us.
Stop looking
To the government for answers.
Stop wishing
For others to end this madness.

Start planning
Ways to weather the fascist tempest.
Start forming
Means to survive the oncoming storm.
Start making
A better future for every one of us.
Start being
An unstoppable force of change.

Poem "In Anger and Hate"

 

In Anger and Hate

By Richard H. Fay

In anger and hate, I planted a seed

From which a sickly sprout sprang.

Nourished by strife, sustained by grief,

Tainted seedling grew twisted and bent

'Til corrupt sprout became warped sapling. 

Gnarled branches scratched a somber sky;

Black roots delved deep into my rotten soul.

NEW POEM "Rocket Ship"

 

Rocket Ship

By Richard H. Fay

Fire
Propels
Silver craft,
Man-made comet
Speeding through the vacuum of outer space,
Spreading humankind's presence out beyond
Our Earth to reach
Other worlds,
Distant
Orbs.

NEW POEM "Lethargy or Recovery?"

Lethargy or Recovery?

By Richard H. Fay

What looks to be indolent lethargy
May just be a case of recovery.
When vital energies dwindle to nil,
The truest answer lies not in some pill.
What recharges life's batteries the best
Is lying back and taking a sound rest.

 

NEW POEM "The Jejuneness of AI Art"

 

The Jejuneness of AI Art

By Richard H. Fay

Electronic minds lacking artistic souls,
Silicon intellects bereft true imaginations,
Produce jejune pastiches of human art.
Artificial brains lacking sparks of genius,
Algorithmic blenders of cultural creations
Generate dull slop devoid of deeper meaning.

NEW POEM "Creatures of Chaos"

 

Creatures of Chaos

By Richard H. Fay

Creatures of chaos
Craving disorder and disruption
Create confusion and woe.

Beings of havoc
Beget discordance and disharmony
Breeding division and strife.

Demons of misrule
Desire turmoil and turbulence
Dealing destruction and death.

NEW POEM "21st Century Religion"

 

21st Century Religion

By Richard H. Fay

Exalt the sinners!
Demean the saints!
Praise the perfidious!
Reprove the faithful!
Revere the idols!
Scorn the masses!
Worship the wealthy!
Profane the poor!
Honor the liars!
Shame the honest!
Bless the proud!
Damn the meek!
Pray for war!
Curse peace!

NEW POEM "Some Ghosts Laugh"

 

Some Ghosts Laugh

By Richard H. Fay

Not all ghosts moan and wail.
Some ghosts weep or sigh.
Some ghosts shriek or yell.
Some ghosts chant or sing.
Some ghost even laugh.

Must be one happy ghost
To go right on laughing
Even in the afterlife.

NEW POEM "AI Cultists"

 

AI Cultists

By Richard H. Fay

Fawning over silicon idols,
Followers of the Cult of AI —
Forswear empathy and amity,
Forsake the fellowship of mankind,
Foment fractiousness and bitterness,
Favor machines over mere mortals,
Fall for false promises of fake gods,
Forget what it means to be human.

NEW POEM "Frustrate, Aggravate, Create, Propagate!"

 

Frustrate, Aggravate, Create, Propagate!

By Richard H. Fay

Frustrate the wannabe demolishers
Of arts and culture.
Aggravate the pitiful producers
Of slop and garbage.
Irritate the unabashed despoilers
Of skill and talent.
Generate human-made masterpieces
Of words and pictures.
Create inspirational masterworks
Of heart and spirit.
Propagate truly organic creations
Of soul and feeling.
Infuriate the vulgar propagandists
Of machine-made art!

Flip AI bros and bots the virtual bird —
Make art!

NEW CINQUAIN "Brick Walls, Redux"

 

Brick Walls, Redux

By Richard H. Fay

Words said
Fail to convey
Meaningful messages;
Communications thwarted by
Brick walls.

NEW POEM: "Topsy-Turvy Life"

 

Topsy-Turvy Life

By Richard H. Fay

Let's ride the roller coaster
That's my topsy-turvy life!
Moods go up and down
As an emotional yo-yo.
Feelings swing to-and-fro
Just like a pendulum.
Back-and-forth,
This-way-and-that,
Tick-tock-tick-tock,
All the days of my life.

Background image by Alexa from Pixabay. Free for use under the Pixabay Content License.

List of Publications: Cover Artworks, Interior Illustrations, and Filler Artworks

2023

Cover art and design for Cosmic Journeys and Gothic Visions: A Speculative Poetry Collection, August 2023.

 

2021
“The Dark Host” (reprint illustration), Night to Dawn 40, October 2021, published June 13, 2021.
“Manticore” (reprint illustration), Classically Educated: A Place for Global Citizens and Polymaths, February 26, 2021.
“Male Merrow” (reprint illustration), Classically Educated: A Place for Global Citizens and Polymaths, February 24, 2021.
“Draco” (reprint illustration), Classically Educated: A Place for Global Citizens and Polymaths, February 22, 2021.
“Pixies in the Porridge” (reprint illustration), Spaceports & Spidersilk, February 2021.
“Galactic Road Trip (2018)” (illustration), Spaceports & Spidersilk, February 2021.
“Conjuring the Dragon” (reprint cover art), Spaceports & Spidersilk, February 2021.

2020
“Not What They Expected” (illustration/filler art), Spaceports & Spidersilk, October 2020.
“Fantasy Winery” cover art and shop signs interior illustrations, Adventure Havens: Brewers, Distillers, and Vintners, Bards and Sages Publishing, June 2020.
Altered Reality Magazine ad promoting Herb Kauderer's poem "The Making of Dragons", ad space on back cover of Star*Line, Spring 2020.
“Manticore” (illustration), Altered Reality Magazine, March 17, 2020.
Merfolk illustration series ("Ningyo", "Male Merrow", "Havmand", "Bonito Maiden", Kaaiman", "Mermaid", Altered Reality Magazine, January 5, 2020.

2019
“Visiting the Pool of the Piptrixons” (cover art), Spaceports & Spidersilk, July 2019.
“Ithaqua” (cover art), Bards and Sages Quarterly, January 2019.

2018
“Hiding From Stinkbottom Troll” (cover art), Spaceports & Spidersilk, October 2018.
Front cover art, back cover art, and frontispiece for Herb Kauderer's poetry collection Recalibrating the Future, Diminuendo Press, July 2018.
Draconic creatures illustration series ("Seven-Headed Wyvern", "Draco", "Lindwurm", "Lambton Worm", "Wyvern", "Tatzelwurm", "Tarasque", "Hydra", "Peluda", "Gargouille"), Altered Reality Magazine, June 17, 2018.
“Defending the Manor” (cover art), Bards and Sages Quarterly, April 2018.
Cover art and design for Trio of Terror: Three Horror Stories by Richard H. Fay [Kindle Edition], May 2018.
Cover art and design for Four by Fay: Four Fantasy Stories by Richard H. Fay [Kindle Edition], January 2018.
“First One to the Top Wins” (cover art), Spaceports & Spidersilk, January 2018.

2017
“Robot Dragon Writing in Scroll” art for Altered Reality Magazine ad, July, 2017.

2016
“Fantasy Apothecary Shop” cover art and shop signs interior illustrations, Adventure Havens: Apothecaries and Alchemists, Bards and Sages Publishing, December, 2016.
“Friends No Matter The Differences” (artwork sample), Altered Reality Magazine website art gallery, October 2016.
“Fairy Dance” (artwork sample), Altered Reality Magazine website art gallery, October 2016.
“A Midwinter’s Night on Ertrixia” (artwork sample), Altered Reality Magazine website art gallery, October 2016.
“King Troll” (artwork sample), Altered Reality Magazine website art gallery, October 2016.
“Telling Tales” (reprint artwork sample), Altered Reality Magazine website art gallery, October 2016.
“Under the Ice on Enceladus” (reprint artwork sample), Altered Reality Magazine website art gallery, October 2016.
"The Brownie" (reprint), Altered Reality Magazine website art gallery. October 2016.
"Shedroid on Tentacles" (reprint), Altered Reality Magazine website art gallery, October 2016.
"Nessiterix Attacks an Elephoid" (reprint), Altered Reality Magazine website art gallery, October 2016.
"Hunting the Queegiog" (reprint), Altered Reality Magazine website art gallery, October 2016.
"Tiger and Dragon" illustration for Vince Gotera's "Menage à Tiger and Dragon", Altered Reality Magazine, October 2016.
"Scootering with the Wind Riders" (cover art), Spaceports & Spidersilk, July 2016 Issue, July 2016.

2015
“Monster in the Ruin” (cover art), Spaceports & Spidersilk, October 2015 Issue, September 2015.
“Grinning Redcap” (illustration), Night to Dawn 28, October 2015 Issue, July 2015.
“Telling Tales” (cover art), Spaceports & Spidersilk, April 2015 Issue, March 2015.
“It Wants To Come In” (illustration), Night to Dawn 27, April 2015 Issue, February 2015.
“Morgan Le Fay” (cover art), Bards and Sages Quarterly, Volume VII, Issue 1, January 2015.

2014
Illustration for Jim Lee's "In Pursuit of the Wolfchildren", The Lorelei Signal, Oct - Nov '14 Issue, October 2014.
Illustration for M. R. Timson's "Cry Wolf", Sorcerous Signals, Aug - Oct '14 Issue, August 2014.
Illustration for Darryl Fifield's "One Day in Feradon", Sorcerous Signals, Aug - Oct '14 Issue, August 2014.
Illustration for Joyce Frohn's "Room 116", The Lorelei Signal, Jul - Sept '14 Issue, July 2014.
Illustration for the Mystic Signals exclusive story "The Doom of Mournshire" by Benjamin Sperduto, The Lorelei Signal, Jul - Sept '14 Issue, July 2014.
“Under the Ice on Enceladus” (cover art), Spaceports & Spidersilk, July 2014 Issue, June 2014.
Illustration for Will Maier's "A Pale Green Blade", Sorcerous Signals, May - Jul '14 issue, May 2014.
Illustration for M.J. Waller's "A Plague of Daffodils", Sorcerous Signals, May - Jul '14 issue, May 2014.
Illustration for the Mystic Signals exclusive story "Uncle Jusquin" by DeAnna Knippling, Sorcerous Signals, May - Jul '14 issue, May 2014.
“Reflections” (filler art), Star*Line, Volume 37, Issue 2, Spring 2014, April 2014.
“Dracopterix Pursues Quad Fliers” (filler art), Star*Line, Volume 37, Issue 2, Spring 2014, April 2014.
Illustration for Charles Kyffhausen's Mystic Signals exclusive story "Rebellion", The Lorelei Signal, April - June 2014 Issue, April 2014.
Illustration for Francis W Alexander's "My Pet, His Pet", Sorcerous Signals, Feb - Apr '14 Issue, February 2014; also Mystic Signals, Issue 20, 5th Anniversary Double Issue, February 2014.
Illustration for "An Evil in Carnlinton", Sorcerous Signals, Feb - Apr '14 Issue, February 2014; also Mystic Signals, Issue 20, 5th Anniversary Double Issue, February 2014.
Illustration for the Mystic Signals exclusive story "A Deal's a Deal" by DC Harrell, Sorcerous Signals, Feb - Apr '14 Issue, February 2014; also Mystic Signals, Issue 20, 5th Anniversary Double Issue, February 2014.
“Shroudeater” (illustration), Night to Dawn 25, April 2014 Issue, February 2014.
“In Its Eye” (filler art), Star*Line, Volume 37, Issue 1, Winter 2014, January 2014.
Illustration for Melissa Embry's "After the War", The Lorelei Signal, Jan - Apr '14 Issue, January 2014; also Mystic Signals, Issue 20, 5th Anniversary Double Issue, February 2014.
Illustration for Rachael Acks' "And Still Champion", The Lorelei Signal, Jan - Apr '14 Issue, January 2014; also Mystic Signals, Issue 20, 5th Anniversary Double Issue, February 2014.
Illustration for Matthew Wilson's "The Old Witch", The Lorelei Signal, Jan - Apr '14 Issue, January 2014; also Mystic Signals, Issue 20, 5th Anniversary Double Issue, February 2014.
“They Come in Peace” (cover art), Spaceports & Spidersilk, January 2014.

2013
“The Devourer Cometh” (cover art), Disturbed Digest, Issue 3, December 2013.
Illustration for Michael Hodges' "Swampy Transitions" (cover art), Plasma Frequency, Issue 9, December/January 2013/14, December 2013.
“Gothic Window” (reprint illustration), Bete Noire, Issue #13, November 2013.
“Legion” (filler art), Star*Line, Volume 36, Issue 4, Autumn 2013, October 2013.
“The Dark Host” (reprint illustration), Disturbed Digest, Issue 2, September 2013.
“The Brownie” (illustration), FrostFire Worlds, Issue 1, August 2013.
Illustration for Anna Sykora's "The Oak Witch's Helper", Sorcerous Signals, Aug. - Oct. '13 Issue, August 2013.
Illustration for Edward Ahern's "Blood Will Out", Sorcerous Signals, Aug. - Oct. '13 Issue, August 2013.
Illustration for Erin Cole's "Her Quest for a Beating Heart", The Lorelei Signal, July-September 2013 Issue, July 2013.
Illustration for Heidi Wainer's "The Specters of Haveroan", The Lorelei Signal, July-September 2013 Issue, July 2013.
“Confronting the Dragon” (cover art), Bards and Sages Quarterly, Volume V, Issue III, July 2013.
“Peg Powler” (cover art), Spaceports & Spidersilk, July 2013.
“Over the Top” (cover art), Youth Imagination, Issue 2, May 2013.
“Shedroid on Tentacles”, [NAMEL3SS] Magazine, Issue 2 (Fall/Winter 2012), May 2013.
Illustration for Matthew Wilson's "The Sorcerer", Sorcerous Signals, May - Jul '13 Issue, May 2013.
Illustration for Robert Collins' "The Templar Conspiracy", Sorcerous Signals, May - Jul '13 Issue, May 2013.
Illustration for Charles Von Nordheim's "The Yeoman Praises Wizards", Sorcerous Signals, May - Jul '13 Issue, May 2013.
“Nessiterix Attacks an Elephoid” (filler art), Star*Line, Volume 36, Issue 2, April 2013.
Illustration for Alexander Gonzalez's "Shade Creeper", Postscripts to Darkness, Volume 3, April 2013.
Illustration for James K. Moran's "Carl and Monty’s Prairie Wager", Postscripts to Darkness, Volume 3, April 2013.
“Tentacled Monstrosity” (illustration), Bete Noire, Issue #10, February 2013.
“Giant Alien Bug” (illustration), Beyond Centauri, January 2013.
“Jungun Catching a Quibbib” (filler art), Dreams & Nightmares 94, January 2013.
Illustration for Beth Powers' "Nothing Altered", Plasma Frequency, Issue 4, February/March 2013.
“It Rises From the Ooze” (filler art), Star*Line, Volume 36, Issue 1, January 2013.
“Aliens Entwined” (filler art), Star*Line, Volume 36, Issue 1, January 2013.

2012
“When Wizards Clashed” (illustration), Sorcerous Signals, Nov '12 - Jan '13 Issue, November 2012.
“The Dark Host” (illustration), Hungur, Vol. VIII, No. 1, All Souls' Night 2012.
Illustration for Lindsey Duncan's "Mythocraft" (cover art), Plasma Frequency, Issue 2, October/November 2012.
“Hunting the Queegiog” (filler art), Dreams & Nightmares 93, September 2012.
“Faces and Figures in the Mist” (illustration), parABnormal Digest, Issue 4, September 2012.
“Kamal Del and the Dark Elemental” (door art), Spaceports & Spidersilk, Vol. 5, No. 3, September 2012.
Illustration for Nyki Blatchley's "Aslahkar", Plasma Frequency, Issue 1, August/September 2012.
“Battle Beneath the Mere” (illustration), NewMyths.com, Issue 19, June 2012.
“Adrift in Another Dimension” (filler art), Dreams & Nightmares 92, May 2012.
“Tree-Climbing Crimbolain” (reprint illustration used as cover art), Kids'Magination Magazine, Issue 11, May 2012.
“Mechanical Dragon” (illustration), Beyond Centauri, Issue 36, April 2012.
“In the Dragon Realm” (cover art), Kids'Magination Magazine, Issue 8, February 2012.
“An Invitation to Elfame” (cover art), Bards and Sages Quarterly, January 2012.

2011
“Crossing the Ertrixian Snowfields” (door art), Spaceports & Spidersilk, December 2011
Illustration for "Old Fashioned Police Work" by Matt Adams, Strange, Weird, and Wonderful Magazine, Fall '11 Issue, October 2011.
“Holiday on Phreetum Prime” (reprint illustration used as cover art), Kids'Magination Magazine,, Issue 4, October 2011 .
Cover art for How We Play Football in Alabama And Other Short Stories From Doug's World by Doug Hilton, September 2011.
“Welcome Sign” (illustration), How We Play Football in Alabama And Other Short Stories From Doug's World by Doug Hilton, September 2011.
“Internut” (reprint illustration), How We Play Football in Alabama And Other Short Stories From Doug's World by Doug Hilton, September 2011.
“Warring Ants” (reprint illustration), How We Play Football in Alabama And Other Short Stories From Doug's World by Doug Hilton, September 2011.
“Maginot Line Fortification Cross-Section” (reprint illustration), How We Play Football in Alabama And Other Short Stories From Doug's World by Doug Hilton, September 2011.
“Conjuring the Dragon” (cover art), OG's Speculative Fiction, Issue #32, September 2011.
“Mighty Steed, White Dragon” (cover art), Kids'Magination Magazine, Issue 2, August 2011.
“Morning Stars Sing in the Speculative Realm” (frontispiece), While the Morning Stars Sing, ResAliens Press, August 2011.
Illuminated Letters & Knotwork Embellishments, Lancelot by Alex Ness & Guy-Francois Evrard (special edition), Diminuendo Press, August 2011.
“An Eldritch Herald” (illustration), Bete Noire, Issue #4, July 2011.
“Elf and Troll” (cover art), Bards and Sages Quarterly, Volume III, Issue 3, July 2011.
“What Greets Me at the End” (illustration), Cover of Darkness, May 2011.
“Creeping Slime Hulk”, artwork sample accompanying artist profile, The Gloaming, April 4, 2011.
“Aliens Entwined”, artwork sample accompanying artist profile, The Gloaming, April 4, 2011.
“Kreonan Sky Devil”, .artwork sample accompanying artist profile, The Gloaming, April 4, 2011.
“The Greemlogorg”, artwork sample accompanying artist profile, The Gloaming, April 4, 2011.
“Meeting the Insectoids” (cover art), Beyond Centauri, Issue 32, April 2011.
“My Macabre Valentine” (illustration), House of Horror, Issue One (print), February 2011.
“Wandering Ole Willow” (cover art), OG's Speculative Fiction, Issue #28, January 2011.

2010
Cover art for Shelly Bryant's poetry collection Under the Ash, Sam's Dot Publishing, December 2010.
“Edward IV/Fifteenth Century English Knight” (illustration), Abandoned Towers, Issue 7 (print), November 2010.
“Poleaxe of Edward IV” (illustration), Abandoned Towers, Issue 7 (print), November 2010.
“The Iltrox” (illustration), House of Horror, Issue 16, October 2010.
Cover art for David C. Kopaska-Merkel's poetry collection Brushfires, Sam's Dot Publishing, October 2010.
“When Wizards Dream at Night” (illustration), on-line version of Abandoned Towers, July 2010.
“Excalibur” (coloring page), Abandoned Towers, Issue 6 (print), July 2010.
“Robert the Bruce” (illustration), Abandoned Towers, Issue 6 (print), July 2010.
“Elgin Sword of Bruce” (illustration), Abandoned Towers, Issue 6 (print), July 2010.
“Hawthornden Sword” (illustration), Abandoned Towers, Issue 6 (print), July 2010.
“Tree-Climbing Crimbolain” (illustration), Beyond Centauri, Issue 29, July 2010.
“From the Bubbling Black Pool” (filler art), Dreams & Nightmares 86, May 2010.
“Shroudeater”, Hungur, Issue 10, Walpurgisnacht 2010.
“William the Conqueror” (detail), artwork sample accompanying artist interview, Residential Aliens, April 2010.
“Knight”, artwork sample accompanying artist interview, Residential Aliens, April 2010.
“King Arthur”, artwork sample accompanying artist interview, Residential Aliens, April 2010.
“William Wallace”, artwork sample accompanying artist interview, Residential Aliens, April 2010.
“Eastern Dragon”, artwork sample accompanying artist interview, Residential Aliens, April 2010.
“St. George as a 14th Century Knight”, artwork sample accompanying artist interview, Residential Aliens, April 2010.
“West Dingleton's Loss of Humanity” (reprint), artwork sample accompanying artist interview, Residential Aliens, April 2010.
“A Leviathan Ascendant” (reprint), artwork sample accompanying artist interview, Residential Aliens, April 2010.
“Tom-Tit-Tot” (reprint illustration also part of the Fairies and Dragons Series), Illumen, Spring 2010.
“Android Attack” (coloring page), Abandoned Towers, Issue #5, March 2010 .
“Galactic Road Trip” (illustration), on-line version of Abandoned Towers, February 2010.
“Plantimal” (filler art), Dreams & Nightmares 85, January, 2010.

2009
“Nanomite 323” (illustration), on-line version of Abandoned Towers, December 2009.
“The Haunted Isle” (illustration), on-line version of Abandoned Towers, December 2009.
“West Dingleton's Loss of Humanity” (illustration), on-line version of Abandoned Towers, December 2009.
“A Leviathan Ascendant” (reprint cover art used as door art), MindFlights, November 2009.
“Internut” (illustration), on-line version of Abandoned Towers, November 2009.
“Holiday on Phreetum Prime” (illustration), on-line version of Abandoned Towers, November 2009.
Robin in Sherwood Forest (coloring page), Abandoned Towers, Issue 4 (print), November 2009.
“Amongst Faerie Oaks” (illustration), Abandoned Towers, Issue 4 (print), November 2009.
“The Banshee's Cry” (illustration), on-line version of Abandoned Towers, October 2009.
“Cosmic Journey” (illustration), on-line version of Abandoned Towers, October 2009.
“The Birth of Sentience on Aggraboth V” (illustration), on-line version of Abandoned Towers, October 2009.
“They've Come For Me Again” (illustration), on-line version of Abandoned Towers, October 2009.
A Leviathan Ascendant (cover art and interior coloring page), Abandoned Towers, Issue 3 (print), July 2009.
“Memories of Camelot” (illustration), Abandoned Towers, Issue 3 (print), July 2009.
“The Armour of Loki” (illustration), Abandoned Towers, Issue 3 (print), July 2009.
“Bearing Sword” (divider art), Abandoned Towers, Issue 3 (print), July 2009.
“Polypod at Home” (illustration), on-line version of Abandoned Towers, June 2009.
“Temporal Crack” (illustration), on-line version of Abandoned Towers, June 2009.
“Barixas Hunt” (filler art), Dreams & Nightmares 83, May 2009.
“The Faces” (illustration), on-line version of Abandoned Towers, May 2009.
“Medieval Dragon Design” (divider art), Abandoned Towers, Issue 2 (print), March 2009.
“Book of Dimensions” (reprint illustration), Abandoned Towers, Issue 2 (print), March, 2009.
“Wander the Ether” (aka “Ethereal Journey”) (reprint illustration), Horror Bound Magazine, January 2009.
“Demons of the Dark Nebula” (reprint illustration), Horror Bound Magazine, January 2009.
“Things in the Swamp” (reprint illustration), Horror Bound Magazine, January 2009.
“Gothic Window” (reprint illustration), Horror Bound Magazine, January 2009.
“Tom-Tit-Tot” (reprint illustration also part of the Fairies and Dragons Series), Horror Bound Magazine, January 2009.
“Forest of the Damned” (reprint illustration), Horror Bound Magazine, January 2009.
“The Unseelie Court” (reprint illustration), Horror Bound Magazine, January 2009.
“Warring Ants” (illustration), on-line version of Abandoned Towers, January 2009.
“Maginot Line Fortification Cross-Section” (illustration), on-line version of Abandoned Towers, January 2009.

2008
“Unicorn Enwreathed” (illustration), Abandoned Towers, Issue 1 (print), November 2008.
“The Professor Speaks” (illustration), Abandoned Towers, Issue 1 (print), November 2008.
“Wander the Ether” (aka “Ethereal Journey”) (reprint illustration), on-line version of Abandoned Towers, October 2008.
“Tom-Tit-Tot” (reprint illustration also part of the Fairies and Dragons Series), Macabre Cadaver, Issue 3, October 2008.
“Things in the Swamp” (reprint illustration), Macabre Cadaver, Issue 3, October 2008.
“Wander the Ether” (aka “Ethereal Journey”) (reprint illustration), Macabre Cadaver, Issue 3, October 2008.
“Forest of the Damned” (reprint illustration), Macabre Cadaver, Issue 3, October 2008.
“The Unseelie Court” (reprint illustration), Macabre Cadaver, Issue 3, October 2008.
Fairies and Dragons Series (reprint illustrations), on-line version of Abandoned Towers, August 2008.
“Eldritch Miasma” (illustration), on-line version of Abandoned Towers, August 2008.
“Things in the Swamp” (reprint illustration), on-line version of Abandoned Towers, August 2008.
“Gothic Window” (reprint illustration), on-line version of Abandoned Towers, August 2008.
Viking Sword Series (illustrations), Flashing Swords, Issue 11, August 2008.
Fairies and Dragons Series (illustrations), Flashing Swords Special Edition, Summer 2008.
Viking Age Weapons Series (illustrations), Flashing Swords, Issue 10, April 2008.
“Wander the Ether” (aka “Ethereal Journey”) (illustration), Scifaikuest, Issue 20, May 2008.
“Demons of the Dark Nebula” (illustration), Hungur, Issue 6, Walpurgisnacht 2008.
“Tyler's Ghosts” (illustration), Flashing Swords, Issue 9, February 2008.
“John Humble Versus Wolf-Head” (illustration), Flashing Swords, Volume 2, Issue 8, January 2008.
“Things in the Swamp” (illustration), Champagne Shivers, 2008 Issue, January 2008.

2007
“Gothic Window” (illustration), Aoife's Kiss, Issue 23, December 2007.
“Book of Dimensions” (illustration), Niteblade, December 2007.
“Battle Crows Gather” (illustration), Flashing Swords, Volume 2 Issue 8, November 2007.
“Forest of the Damned” (illustration), The Willows, September 2007.
“The Unseelie Court” (illustration), Fantastic Horror, June 2007.

***

Poem "Life is the Life"

 

Life is the Life

by Richard H. Fay

Roused from decades of sepulchral slumber
By savage cannonades and rifle fire,
Departing the dark comfort of my tomb,
I roam a mad world ripped apart by war.

Venturing forth like a smoky blue veil
Wafting across this cratered countryside,
Searching for the base essence of being,
I am drawn to fields of lingering death.

Drifting amidst battle-broken bodies,
Ignoring agonizing cries of pain,
Invisible to dimming mortal eyes,
I harvest embers of vitality.

Finding a suitably ravaged vessel,
Sensing sustenance within battered flesh,
I drain lifeblood to feed this hungry soul -
A dying youth becomes my golden cup.

Energies flow from spirit to spirit
Fuelling my ethereal existence.
Leaving behind the soldier's empty husk
I retreat into deepening shadows
Revitalized.

Originally published in The Monsters Next Door, Contest Issue 4.5, November 15, 2008. Poetry winner, “Through My Eyes” writing contest. Also published May 2009 in the anthology Scattered Verses, Moonlit Curses, October 2011 in the webzine Aphelion, February 2015 in Night to Dawn 27, December 2020 in the webzine The Chamber Magazine, August 2023 in the poetry collection Cosmic Journeys and Gothic Visions.

List of Publications: Poetry, Short Fiction, & Nonfiction

Poetry Collections 2023
Cosmic Journeys and Gothic Visions: A Speculative Poetry Collection, August 2023.

Non-Fiction 2023
"The Physical Appearance of the Bloody Redcap as Described by Lore", Classically Educated: A Place for Global Citizens and Polymaths, May 19, 2023.

Poetry 2022
"Wondrous Gobbledygook" (reprint), HimmelSkibet (in Kenneth Krabat’s review of Peter Graarup Westergaard’s poetry collection Warning Light Calling), February 2022.

Poetry 2021
"The Dark Host" (reprint), Night to Dawn 40, October 2021 Issue, published June 2021.
"Midnight Sabbath" (reprint), Night to Dawn 40, October 2021 Issue, published June 2021.
"Pixies in the Porridge" (reprint), Spaceports & Spidersilk, February 2021.

Non-Fiction 2021
"You Can't Mix Science Fiction and Horror!' Um, Yes, You CAN!", Classically Educated: A Place for Global Citizens and Polymaths, September 27, 2021.
"Personae in Speculative Poetry", Classically Educated: A Place for Global Citizens and Polymaths, March 12, 2021.
"Manticore: Man-Eating Hybrid Beast of Legend and Art" (reprint), Classically Educated: A Place for Global Citizens and Polymaths, February 26, 2021.
"Merfolk: Sea People of Folklore and Legend" (reprint), Classically Educated: A Place for Global Citizens and Polymaths, February 24, 2021.
"A Variety of Draconic Creatures" (reprint), Classically Educated: A Place for Global Citizens and Polymaths, February 22, 2021.

Short Stories, Flash Fiction, and Drabbles 2020
"From Within the Earth" (reprint), The Chamber Magazine, December 24, 2020.

Non-Fiction 2020
"Manticore: Man-Eating Hybrid Beast of Legend and Art", Altered Reality Magazine, March 17, 2020.
"Merfolk: Sea People of Folklore and Legend", Altered Reality Magazine, January 5, 2020.

Poetry 2020
"Life is the Life" (reprint), The Chamber Magazine, December 19, 2020.
"The Haunted Isle" (reprint), Every Day Poems section of the Every Writers website, October 26, 2020.

Short Story Collections 2018
Trio of Terror: Three Horror Stories by Richard H. Fay [Kindle Edition], May 2018.
Four by Fay: Four Fantasy Stories by Richard H. Fay [Kindle Edition], January 2018.

Non-Fiction 2018
"A Variety of Draconic Creatures", Altered Reality Magazine, June 17, 2018.

Non-Fiction 2017
"The Good and the Bad of Critiques" (reprint), Classically Educated: A Place for Global Citizens and Polymaths, December 4, 2017.
"Fairy Thefts", Classically Educated: A Place for Global Citizens and Polymaths, November 27, 2017.
"The Darker Side of Fairy Lore" (reprint), Classically Educated: A Place for Global Citizens and Polymaths, November 20, 2017.
"Speculative Poetry: Past, Present, and Future" (reprint), Classically Educated: A Place for Global Citizens and Polymaths, November 13, 2017.
"Vampiric UFOs" (reprint), Classically Educated: A Place for Global Citizens and Polymaths, November 6, 2017.
"The Alp and the Schrattl" (reprint), Classically Educated: A Place for Global Citizens and Polymaths, October 30, 2017.
"Vampiric Creatures of Ancient Myth and Legend" (reprint), Classically Educated: A Place for Global Citizens and Polymaths, October 23, 2017.
"The Connection Between Fairies and the Dead" (reprint), Classically Educated: A Place for Global Citizens and Polymaths, October 16, 2017.
"The Darker Side of Fairy Lore" (reprint), Altered Reality Magazine, March 2017.
"Some Arms and Armour Terms and Facts" (reprint), Altered Reality Magazine, March 2017.
"Edward IV" (reprint), Altered Reality Magazine, March 2017.
"Robert the Bruce" (reprint), Altered Reality Magazine, March 2017.
"The Alp and the Schrattl" (reprint), Altered Reality Magazine, March 2017.
"The Good and the Bad of Critiques" (reprint), Altered Reality Magazine, March 2017.
"Speculative Poetry: Past, Present, and Future" (reprint), Altered Reality Magazine, February 2017.

Short Stories, Flash Fiction, and Drabbles 2016
"Father Ryan's Fright" (reprint), Altered Reality Magazine, October 2016.
"The Trouble With Unsolicited Messages" (reprint), Altered Reality Magazine, October 2016.

Poetry 2016
"Tipsy Rambler" (reprint), Altered Reality Magazine, October 2016.
"The Brownie" (reprint), Altered Reality Magazine, October 2016.
"Pixies in the Porridge" (reprint), Altered Reality Magazine, October 2016.
"Silicon Searchers" (reprint), Altered Reality Magazine, October 2016.
"Woodwose" (reprint), Altered Reality Magazine, October 2016.
"Last Thoughts of a Cosmic Fighter Pilot" (reprint), Altered Reality Magazine, October 2016.
"Wondrous Gobbledygook" (reprint), Altered Reality Magazine, October 2016.
Scifaiku "Wander the Ether" (reprint), Altered Reality Magazine, October 2016.
Scifaiku "Ray Gun Destruction" (reprint), Altered Reality Magazine, October 2016.
Scifaiku "Clash of Tempered Steel" (reprint), Altered Reality Magazine, October 2016.
Scifaiku "Gothic Armour" (reprint), Altered Reality Magazine, October 2016.
Scifaiku "Green Chitinous Domes" (reprint), Altered Reality Magazine, October 2016.
Scifaiku "Hand-in-Tentacle" (reprint), Altered Reality Magazine, October 2016.
Scifaiku "Silver Dragon" (reprint), Altered Reality Magazine, October 2016.
Scifaiku "Green Grass" (reprint), Altered Reality Magazine, October 2016.
Scifaiku "Drifting Flakes" (reprint), Altered Reality Magazine, October 2016.
Scifaiku "Temporal Crack" (reprint), Altered Reality Magazine, October 2016.
Scifaiku "Purple Methane Swamp" (reprint), Altered Reality Magazine, October 2016.
Scifaiku "Rainbow Against Black" (reprint), Altered Reality Magazine, October 2016.

Poetry 2015
"Never Ending Struggle" (reprint), Aphelion, August 2015.
"The Brownie" (reprint), Aphelion, July 2015.
"The Redcap of Dunnor Peel" (reprint), Night to Dawn 28, October 2015 Issue, published July 2015.
Horrorku "Breathless Dusk" (reprint), Aphelion, June 2015.
"Something in the Yew" (reprint), Aphelion, May 2015.
"Bluebell Spell" (reprint), Aphelion, April 2015.
"Life is the Life" (reprint), Night to Dawn 27, April 2015 Issue, published February 2015.

Short Stories, Flash Fiction, and Drabbles 2014
"Sing the Bones Alive" (reprint), Bardic Tales and Sage Advice (Vol. VI), August 2014.
"Those from the Shadows", Bete Noire, Issue #14, February 2014.
"An Evil in Carnlinton" (reprint), Mystic Signals, Issue 20, 5th Anniversary Double Issue, February 2014.
"An Evil in Carnlinton", Sorcerous Signals, Feb - Apr '14 Issue, February 2014.

Poetry 2014
"At the Wheel" (reprint), Aphelion "Best of 2014", December 2014.
"Necromancy", Bete Noire, Issue #17, October 2014.
"Magical Meetings" (reprint), Aphelion, October 2014.
"Silicon Searchers" (reprint), Aphelion, August 2014.
"At the Wheel" (reprint), Aphelion, July 2014.
"Weretiger" (reprint), Aphelion, June 2014.
"The Hungering Host" (reprint), Bloodbond, May 2014.
Horrorku "Moonlit Oak Copse", Aphelion, May 2014.
Scifaiku "Hand-in-Tentacle", Aphelion, April 2014.
"Tipsy Rambler", Aphelion, March 2014.
"Shroudeater" (reprint), Night to Dawn 25, April 2014 Issue, February 2014.

Non-Fiction 2014
"Some Arms and Armour Terms and Facts", Classically Educated: A Place for Global Citizens and Polymaths, July 15, 2014.
"The Connection Between Fairies and the Dead", Disturbed Digest, Issue #4, March 2014.

Short Stories, Flash Fiction, and Drabbles 2013
"Father Ryan's Fright", Anotherealm dot com, November 2013.
"The Redcap of Glamtallon", Cover of Darkness, Issue 14, March 2013.
"Sing the Bones Alive", Bards and Sages Quarterly, Volume V, Issue I, January 2013.

Poetry 2013
"Gothic Window" (reprint), Bete Noire, Issue #13, November 2013.
"The Hungering Host", Disturbed Digest, Issue 2, September 2013.
"The Brownie", FrostFire Worlds, Issue 1, August 2013.
"My Darkly Dear Leanan-Sidhe" (reprint), Bete Noire, Issue #11, May 2013.
"Weretiger", Night to Dawn 23, April 2013.

Non-Fiction 2012
"Speculative Poetry: Past, Present, and Future" (reprint), Illumen, Issue 17, Autumn 2012.

Short Stories, Flash Fiction, and Drabbles 2012
"Vengeance of the Alpe" (reprint), Night to Dawn 21, April 2012.

Poetry 2012
"Pixies in the Porridge", Aoife's Kiss, Issue 43, December 2012.
"Souls Adrift" (reprint), Dark Metre, Issue 17, December 2, 2012.
"The Haunted Castle" (reprint), Dark Metre, Issue 17, December 2, 2012.
"When Wizards Clashed" (reprint), Sorcerous Signals, Nov '12 - Jan '13 Issue, published November 2012.
Scifaiku "Gothic Armour", Scifaikuest (print), Vol. X. No. 2, November 2012.
Horrorku "Burrowing Worm", Scifaikuest (on-line), Vol.10 No. 2, November 2012.
"Never Ending Struggle", Death Head Grin #39, October 2012.
"The Redcap of Dunnor Peel", The Scareald, Issue No. 2, October 2012.
"Cosmic Grind", Infernal Ink Magazine, Vol. 1, Issue 2, October 2012.
"Bluebell Spell", parABnormal Digest, Issue 4, September 2012.
"The Dark Host" (reprint), Bete Noire, Issue #8, August 2012.
"Silicon Searchers", Tales of the Talisman, Volume 8, Issue 1, August 2012.
Scifaiku "Silver Dragon", Beyond Centauri, Issue 36, April 2012.
"When Wizards Dream at Night" (reprint), Shelter of Daylight, Issue 8, April 2012.
"Whispers on the Stairs" (reprint), Dark Metre, Issue 13, April 2012 .
"Shadow People" (reprint), Dark Metre, Issue 13, April 2012.
"The Wretched House 'Round the Corner", Static Movement, March 2012.
Horrorku "Heady Brew", Trapeze Magazine, March 14, 2012.
"Gathering of the Dead" (reprint), Cover of Darkness, March 2012.
"Peg Powler" (reprint), Aphelion: The Best of 2011, February 2012.
"The Damnation of Daniel Brewster" (reprint), New Bedlam Town Archives, Vol. 1, February 2012.
Horrorku "Breathless Dusk", Trapeze Magazine, January 31, 2012.

Short Stories, Flash Fiction, & Drabbles 2011
"The Stars Weren't Really Right After All", The Drabbler #19: Climate Change, September 2011.
"The Abominable Snowman Snowless", The Drabbler #19: Climate Change, September 2011. Honorable Mention in the 19th Sam's Dot Drabble Contest.

Poetry 2011
"Fantasyku" (reprint), Niteblade Issue #18, Special Poetry Issue, December 2011.
"Shroudeater" (reprint), Thirsty Are the Damned: A True Vampire Anthology, December 2011.
"Woodwose", Aphelion, December/January Issue, December 2011.
"Song of the Dead" (reprint), Dark Metre, Issue 11, December 4, 2011.
"Cosmic Ship of Dreams", Aphelion, November 2011.
Horrorku "Weeping Tree" (reprint), microcosms, October 23, 2011.
Horrorku "Patient Black Widow", microcosms, October 23, 2011.
Horrorku "Clattering Hooves" (reprint), microcosms, October 23, 2011.
"Life is the Life" (reprint), Aphelion, October 2011.
"Wandering Ole Willow" (reprint), Aphelion, September 2011.
"Last Thoughts of a Cosmic Fighter Pilot", Aphelion, August 2011.
"Ethereal Journey" (reprint), While the Morning Stars Sing Anthology ResAliens Press, August 2011.
"Book of Dimensions" (reprint), While the Morning Stars Sing Anthology, ResAliens Press, August 2011.
"Cosmic Journey" (reprint), While the Morning Stars Sing Anthology, ResAliens Press, August 2011.
"The Banshee's Cry" (reprint), Dark Metre, Issue 6, July 2011.
"Death's Ship", Aphelion, June/July Issue, July 2011.
"Peg Powler" (reprint), Aphelion, June/July Issue, July 2011.
"Magical Meetings" (reprint), Mystic Signals 10, May 2011.
"Magical Meetings", Sorcerous Signals, May - July '11 Issue..
"Souls Adrift" (reprint), Aphelion, May 2011.
"What Greets Me at the End", Cover of Darkness, May 2011.
"Shadow People", Bete Noire, Issue #3, April 2011.
"Wondrous Gobbledygook", Aphelion, April 2011.
"When Wizards Clashed", The Absent Willow Review, April 15, 2011.
"The Devil's Dungeon", Trembles, Issue #2, April 2011.
"Something in the Yew", parABnormal Digest, Issue 1, March 2011.
"A Haunted House" (reprint), Aphelion, March 2011.
"Who (or What) is it at the Door?", Aphelion, February, 2011.
"Howling on the Moor" (reprint), Aphelion: The Best of 2010, February 2011.
"Song of the Dead", Sounds of the Night, Issue 8, February 2011.
"Whispers on the Stairs", Trembles, Issue #1, January 2011.
"The Collector" (reprint), The Dark Fiction Spotlight, January 2011.

Short Stories, Flash Fiction, & Drabbles 2010
"Vengeance of the Alpe", Hungur, Issue 11, All Souls' Night 2010.
"From Within the Earth", MicroHorror, November 1, 2010.

Poetry 2010
Horrorku "Darkening Sky", Trapeze Magazine, December 2, 2010.
Horrorku "Will-o-Wisp" reprinted as "Will-o-the-Wisp", Aphelion, December 2010.
"The Accursed Castle" (reprint), Aphelion, December 2010.
Horrorku "Musty Ebon Tome", microcosms, November 23, 2010.
Horrorku "Empty Ballroom", Trapeze Magazine, November 6, 2010.
"My Final Masterpiece" (reprint), House of Horror Best of 2010 Anthology, November 2010.
"Life's Waning Season", Abandoned Towers, Issue #7 (print), November 2010.
"Texas Stargazin'", Abandoned Towers, Issue #7 (print), November 2010.
Horrorku "Masque at Midnight", microcosms, November 1, 2010.
"Consequence of Taking Too Much" (reprint), Aphelion, November 2010.
Horrorku "Pale Shadow", Scifaikuest (print), Vol. VIII No. 2, November 2010.
Scifaiku "Purring Cat", Scifaikuest (on-line), Vol. 8 No. 2, November 2010.
Horrorku "Moonlit Moor", Trapeze Magazine, October 21, 2010.
Horrorku "Putrefied Flesh", microcosms, October 7, 2010.
"Gathering of the Dead" (reprint), House of Horror, Issue #17, Halloween 2010.
"Gremlins in My Brain" (reprint), Deadman's Tome, October 2010.
"Corpse-Candles" (reprint), Deadman's Tome, October 2010.
"The Iltrox" (reprint), House of Horror, Issue 16, October 2010.
"Sorceress Devolution" (reprint), Aphelion, September/October 2010 Issue.
"Marriage of Earth and Antares" (reprint), Aphelion, September/October 2010 Issue.
"An Invitation to Elfame", Sounds of the Night, August 2010.
"My Darkly Dear Leanan-Sidhe", Sounds of the Night, August 2010.
"Demons of the Dark Nebula" (reprint), Abandoned Towers (online), August 2010.
"Nightmares Fell My Fantasy" (reprint), Aphelion, July/August 2010.
Horrorku ("black leathery wings") (reprint), Aphelion, July/August 2010.
Horrorku ("glimmering embers") (reprint), Aphelion, June 2010.
"Midnight Encounter on Merais Minor" (reprint), Once Again With Feeling, May 2010.
"The Incubus" (reprint), Once Again With Feeling, May 2010.
Horrorku "Parting Red Curtains" (reprint), Aphelion, May 2010.
"Shroudeater", Hungur, Issue 10, Walpurgisnacht 2010.
"Souls Adrift", Fear and Trembling, April 8, 2010.
"My Final Masterpiece" (reprint), House of Horror, Issue #10, April 2010.
"Serpent of Storms" (reprint), Static Movement, April 2010.
"When Hunger Takes Me" (reprint), Aphelion, April 2010.
"At the Wheel", Illumen, Spring 2010.
"Howling on the Moor" (reprint), Aphelion, March 2010.
"When Wizards Dream at Night" (reprint), Abandoned Towers (online), March 2010.
"Two Dimensional Visitors" (reprint), Aphelion: The Best of 2009, February 2010.
"Your Bloody Face" (reprint), House of Horror, Issue 9, Special Valentine's Issue, February 2010.

Non-Fiction 2010
"Edward IV", Abandoned Towers, Issue #7 (print), November 2010.
"Robert the Bruce", Abandoned Towers, Issue #6 (print), July 2010.
"The Alp and the Schrattl", Hungur, Issue 10, Walpurgisnacht 2010.

Poetry 2009
"The Devourer Took a New Name", Bewildering Stories, Issue 364, December 7, 2009.
"Fairy Bandits", Aphelion, December 2009.
"Kamal Del and the Dark Elemental" (reprint), Arcane Whispers Volume 2: The Best of Sorcerous Signals 2008, December 2009.
Horrorku "Will-o-Wisp", The Shantytown Anomaly, Issue #8, November 2009.
"The Sheerie", Aphelion, November 2009.
Horrorku "Weeping Tree", Scifaikuest (on-line), November 2009.
"Amongst Faerie Oaks", Abandoned Towers, Issue #4 (print), November 2009.
"Gathering of the Dead", Tales From the Moonlit Path, Halloween Issue, October 2009.
"The Haunted Castle", The Absent Willow Review, October 15, 2009.
"They've Come For Me Again" (reprint), Abandoned Towers (online), October 2009.
"The Birth of Sentience on Aggraboth V" (reprint), Abandoned Towers (online), October 2009.
"Coach-a-Bower", Aphelion, October 2009.
"Visages of Betrayal and Madness", The Monsters Next Door, Issue Eight, September 2009.
"Eldritch Mistress", Aphelion, September 2009.
Horrorku "Roiling Gyre", Aphelion, August 2009.
Scifaiku "Electric Blue Sparks", Aphelion, July 2009.
Scifaiku "Temporal Crack" (reprint), Abandoned Towers (online), June 2009.
"Yellow Eyes", Every Day Poets, June 26, 2009.
Horrorku "Clattering Hooves", Aphelion, June 2009.
"Explorers" (reprint), Wondrous Web Worlds Anthology, Volume 8, June 2009.
"Sorceress Devolution" (reprint), A Time To... Volume 3: The Best of The Lorelei Signal 2008, June 2009.
"Life is the Life" (reprint), Scattered Verses, Moonlit Curses Horror Poetry Anthology, May 2009.
"Nightmares Fell My Fantasy", Scattered Verses, Moonlit Curses Horror Poetry Anthology, May 2009.
"Howling on the Moor", Scattered Verses, Moonlit Curses Horror Poetry Anthology, May 2009.
"Your Bloody Face" (reprint), Scattered Verses, Moonlit Curses Horror Poetry Anthology, May 2009.
"The Incubus" (reprint), Scattered Verses, Moonlit Curses Horror Poetry Anthology, May 2009.
"The Accursed Castle" (reprint), Scattered Verses, Moonlit Curses Horror Poetry Anthology, May 2009.
"When Wizards Dream at Night", Tales of the Talisman, Volume IV Issue 4, Spring 2009.
Scifaiku "Temporal Crack", Aphelion, May 2009.
Horrorku "Labyrinthine Pile", Aphelion, April 2009.
"The Damnation of Daniel Brewster", The New Bedlam Project, Vol. 1 Issue 1, April 2009.
"Mother Earth's Children", Abandoned Towers (online), March 2009.
Scifaiku "Drifting Flakes", Aphelion, March 2009.
"Winter Crows", Every Day Poets, March 10, 2009.
"Serpent of Storms", The Monsters Next Door, Issue 6, March 2009.
"When Hunger Takes Me", The Monsters Next Door, Issue 6, March 2009.
"Book of Dimensions" (reprint), Abandoned Towers Issue 2 (print), March 2009.
"Worrying" (reprint), Abandoned Towers (online), March, 2009.
Scifaiku "Clash of Tempered Steel", Scifaikuest, February 2009.
"Two Dimensional Visitors", Aphelion, February 2009.
"Bearshirt" (reprint), Aphelion: The Best of 2008, February 2009.
"The Haunted Isle" (reprint), Horror Bound Magazine, February 2009.
"The Phantom Dimension" (reprint), Horror Bound Magazine, February 2009.
"The Unseelie Court" (reprint), Horror Bound Magazine, February 2009.
"Midnight Sabbath" (reprint), Horror Bound Magazine, February 2009.
"Wandering Ole Willow", Bewildering Stories, Issue 322, January 26, 2009.
Haiku "Moaning Hemlock Tree", Every Day Poets, January 12, 2009.

Non-Fiction 2009
"The Good and the Bad of Critiques", Creator and the Catalyst, August 2009.
"Speculative Poetry: Past, Present, and Future", Abandoned Towers (online), January 2009.

Short Stories, Flash Fiction, & Drabbles 2008
"The Trouble With Unsolicited Messages", The Drabbler #11, June 2008. Honorable Mention in the 11th Sam's Dot Drabble Contest.

Poetry 2008
Scifaiku "Stark Ebon Tower", Aphelion, December 2008.
"Peg Powler", Bewildering Stories, Issue 316, December 1, 2008.
"My Final Masterpiece", Niteblade, December 2008.
"Life is the Life", The Monsters Next Door, Contest Issue 4.5, November 15, 2008. Poetry Winner, "Through My Eyes" Writing Contest.
"They've Come For Me Again", Aphelion, November 2008.
"Autumnal Woodland Morn", Every Day Poets, November 9, 2008.
"Chupa-Chupas", Hungur, Issue 7, All Souls' Night 2008.
"Midnight Encounter on Merais Minor", Hungur, Issue 7, All Souls' Night 2008.
"Consequence of Taking Too Much", Macabre Cadaver, Issue 3, October 2008.
"Sorceress Devolution", The Lorelei Signal, October-December 2008 Issue.
Scifaiku "Green Chitinous Domes" (reprint), Abandoned Towers (online), October 2008.
"Galactic Road Trip" (reprint), Abandoned Towers (online), October 2008.
Scifaiku "Artificial Form" (reprint), Abandoned Towers (online), October 2008.
"Infiltration" (reprint), Abandoned Towers (online), October 2008.
Scifaiku "Minute Murderer" (reprint), Abandoned Towers (online), October 2008.
Scifaiku "Wander the Ether" (reprint), Abandoned Towers (online), October 2008.
"The Faces" (reprint), Abandoned Towers (online), October 2008.
Scifaiku "Green Grass" (reprint), Abandoned Towers (online), October 2008.
Scifaiku "Rainbow Against Black" (reprint), Abandoned Towers (online), October 2008.
"Holiday on Phreetum Prime" (reprint), Abandoned Towers (online), October 2008.
"Unidentified Funny Object" (reprinted as scifaiku "zipping silver disk"), Abandoned Towers (online), October 2008.
"Intergalactic Getaway" (reprinted as scifaiku "bubbling black pools"), Abandoned Towers (online), October 2008.
"Nanomite 323" (reprint), Abandoned Towers (online), October 2008.
"West Dingleton's Loss of Humanity" (reprint), Abandoned Towers (online), October 2008.
Scifaiku "Purple Methane Swamp" (reprint), Abandoned Towers (online), October 2008.
Scifaiku "Slip Free of Time's Grasp" (reprint), Abandoned Towers (online), October 2008.
Scifaiku "Ray Gun Destruction" (reprint), Abandoned Towers (online), October 2008.
"My Alien Love" (reprint), Bewildering Stories Third Quarterly Review, 2008 Editors’ Choices: issues 297-307, September 2008.
"Corpse-Candles" (reprint), Lost Innocence: A Niteblade Anthology 2007-2008, September 2008.
Horrorku "Parting Red Curtains", The Monsters Next Door, Issue Four, September 2008.
Horrorku "Black Leathery Wings", The Monsters Next Door, Issue Four, September 2008.
Horrorku "Glimmering Embers", The Monsters Next Door, Issue Four, September 2008.
"The Haunted Isle" (reprint), Abandoned Towers (online), August 2008.
"Gothic Window" (reprint), Abandoned Towers (online), August 2008.
"The Banshee's Cry" (reprint), Abandoned Towers (online), August 2008.
"Cosmic Journey" (reprint), Abandoned Towers (online), August 2008.
"Sorcerous Evolution" (reprint), Abandoned Towers (online), August 2008.
Scifaiku "Lonely Fairy Rath", Aphelion, August 2008.
"Ethereal Journey", Bewildering Stories, Issue 301, August 11, 2008.
"My Alien Love", Bewildering Stories, Issue 300, August 4, 2008.
"Things in the Swamp" (reprint), Abandoned Towers (online), August 2008.
"Gremlins in My Brain", The Monsters Next Door, Issue 3, July 2008.
"What Stirs There", The Monsters Next Door, Issue 3, July 2008.
"Death in the Forest", The Monsters Next Door, Issue 3, July 2008.
Scifaiku "Green Chitinous Domes", Aphelion, July 2008.
"Galactic Road Trip", Tales of the Talisman, Volume IV Issue 1, Summer 2008.
"The Faces", The Ashen Eye, Issue 1, June 2008.
Scifaiku "Green Grass", Aphelion, June 2008.
"Corpse-Candles", Niteblade, June 2008.
Scifaiku "Artificial Form", Aphelion, May 2008.
"Infiltration", Bewildering Stories, Issue 288, May 2008.
Scifaiku "Minute Murderer", Scifaikuest, Issue 20, May 2008.
Scifaiku "Wander the Ether", Scifaikuest, Issue 20, May 2008.
"Demons of the Dark Nebula", Hungur, Issue 6, Walpurgisnacht 2008.
"Kamal Del and the Dark Elemental", Sorcerous Signals, May - July '08 Issue.
"The Phantom Dimension", The Ashen Eye, April 11, 2008 (on-line promotional article w/ contributor's bio).
"The Collector" (reprint), DemonMinds Spring 2008 Print Edition, featuring the best of DemonMinds, Spring 2008.
"The Collector", DemonMinds, Spring 2008 Issue, April 10, 2008.
"Bearshirt", Aphelion, April 2008.
"My Haunted House", Bewildering Stories, Issue 284, April 2008.
"Battle in the Dark Castle" (reprint), Arcane Whispers, Volume 1, Best of Sorcerous Signals 2007, April 2008.
"The Haunted Isle", Illumen, Issue 8, Spring 2008.
Scifaiku "Rainbow Against Black", Illumen, Issue 8, Spring 2008.
"Holiday on Phreetum Prime", Star*Line, March/April 2008.
"Unidentified Funny Object", Aphelion, March 2008.
"Spirit of the Skull", Night to Dawn 13, April 2008.
"A Horror Editor's Lament or One Heck of a Headache" (reprint), Bewildering Stories' First Quarterly Review 2008, Editors' Choices: issues 273-283, March 2008.
"The Birth of Sentience on Aggraboth V", The Fifth Di..., Edition 10, #1, March 2008.
"Your Bloody Face", Tales from the Moonlit Path, Issue 9, February 2008.
"A Horror Editor's Lament or One Heck of a Headache", Bewildering Stories, Issue 278, February 18, 2008.
"The Dark Host", Bewildering Stories, Issue 277, February 10, 2008.
"Intergalactic Getaway", Aphelion, February 2008.
Horrorku 2 "Incubus Passions" (reprint), Aphelion "The Best of 2007", February 2008.
Horrorku "Spirit of the Night", Scifaikuest, Issue 19, February 2008.
"Marriage of Earth and Antares", Sounds of the Night, Issue 2, February 2008.
"The Incubus", Sounds of the Night, Issue 2, February 2008.
"Old Mother Elder", Bewildering Stories, Issue 275, January 2008.
"The Changeling", Bewildering Stories, Issue 274, January 2008.
"Things in the Swamp", Champagne Shivers, 2008 Issue, January 2008.
"The Accursed Castle", Champagne Shivers, 2008 Issue, January 2008.

Non-Fiction 2008
"Vampiric UFOs", Hungur, Issue 7, All Souls' Night 2008.
"Vampiric Creatures of Ancient Myth and Legend", Hungur, Issue 6, Walpurgisnacht, 2008.
"The Darker Side of Fairy Lore", Doorways Magazine, Killer Holiday Issue, Issue 4, January 2008.

Poetry 2007
"Interdimensional Visitors", Aphelion, December 2007.
"The Lambton Worm", Aphelion, December 2007.
"Gothic Window", Aoife's Kiss, Issue 23, December 2007.
"Book of Dimensions", Niteblade, December 2007.
"Cosmic Tricksters", Aphelion, November 2007.
"The Iltrox", Hungur, Issue 5, All Souls' Night 2007.
"Battle in the Dark Castle", Sorcerous Signals, Nov. '07 - Jan. '08 Issue.
"The Black Dog", Tales from the Moonlit Path, October 2007.
"A Haunted House", Tales from the Moonlit Path, October 2007.
"The Banshee's Cry", Sinister Tales, October 2007.
"Nanomite 323" (reprint), Bewildering Stories' Third Quarterly Review, Summer 2007, Editors' Choices: issues 251-261, Part II, October 2007.
"Nanomite 323", Bewildering Stories, Issue 259, September 10, 2007.
"Cosmic Journey", The Sword Review, September 3, 2007.
Horrorku 2 "Incubus Passions", Aphelion, September 2007.
"Explorers", The Fifth Di..., September 2007. Issue's winner "best poem".
"Fantasyku", Niteblade, September 2007.
"Worrying", Skyline Magazine, Autumn 2007.
"Darkling Dale", DemonMinds, August 21, 2007.
"West Dingleton's Loss of Humanity", Bewildering Stories, Issue 256, August 20, 2007.
Horroku "Sinful seduction", Aphelion, August 2007.
"Sorcerous Evolution", The Sword Review, July 16, 2007.
Haiku "Heaven's Bright Jewels", Asahi Haikuist Network, July 7-8, 2007.
Scifaiku 3 "Purple Methane Swamp", Aphelion, July 2007.
Scifaiku 2 "Slip Free of Time's Grasp", Aphelion, June 2007.
"The Unseelie Court", Fantastic Horror, June 2007.
Several Haiku, Haiku Haven, May 2007.
Scifaiku "Ray Gun Destruction", Aphelion, May 2007.
"Midnight Sabbath", DemonMinds, April 20, 2007. Tied for 1st Runner Up in the 2007 DemonMinds Horror Poetry Contest.

***

NEW POEM "Fool, Devil, Drunkard, Clown"

 

Fool, Devil, Drunkard, Clown

By Richard H. Fay

During your miserable existence
Dulled by alcoholism and denseness,
Darkened by rancor and abusiveness,
Drawn short by addictions and mindlessness,
You cracked jokes at the expense of others,
You harangued, harassed, and harried others,
You threatened the precious lives of others,
You flung wisecracks and doled out drolleries,
You voiced menacing remarks and sick gibes, 
You blustered, browbeat, bothered, and badgered,
You berated, bullied, and belittled,
You insulted and intimidated,
You acted as your father’s truest son,
You easily played both fool and devil
(Though just like with your detestable dad,
Wretched drunkard was closest to the mark).

Truth be told, clown, I got the last laugh —
I outlived you!
Who’s laughing now?

NEW POEM "Snowflake"

 

Snowflake

By Richard H. Fay

Single flake delicate and white
Possessing precious individuality,
Alone so transient and weak,
With natural geometric beauty
Melted by a warming sunbeam
Or obliterated by a mere breath,
Draw strength from your kind!

Powerful and potent together,
Possessing abilities most dreadful,
You thunder down mountainsides,
Break stout limbs on mighty trees,
Damage human-made dwellings,
Halt human-planned travel,
Or even suffocate and kill!

NEW POEM: "Crazy-Net Clowns"

Crazy-Net Clowns

By Richard H. Fay

Crazy-net clowns perform their acts
Juggling insults and twisting words,
Turning discourse into a farce.

Crazy-net clowns put on a show
Slinging untruths and flinging lies,
Turning debate into a joke.

Crazy-net clowns engage in games
Mocking scholars and fooling fans,
Turning discussions into gags.

Crazy-net clowns function as trolls
Launching attacks and tossing slurs,
‘Til net becomes a circus tent

Wherein the clowns perform their acts…

 

NEW POEM "Wallowing in Mediocre Obscurity"

NEW POEM!

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.

NEW POEM "A Vengeful Monster"

 

NEW POEM!
A dark piece, but not necessarily a speculative one (though I did adopt a persona writing it), "A Vengeful Monster" explores the idea that a thirst for vengeance might turn one into a monster.

 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!

Poem "The Succubus" (2026 version)

Completely re-wrote an unpublished dark poem I 1st wrote several years ago (2011?) — "The Succubus". 'Twas one of my less-than-successful attempts at writing sonnets. However, I think this new version is far superior to the clunky 2011(?) one.

 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!

NEW POEM "Confessions of a Troll"

Inspired by being added to a certain author/editor's "Quit Being Toxic" BlueSky moderation list (which I consider to be a sick joke), I wrote a satirical confessional poem from the perspective of a toxic troll.

This isn't ME confessing to being a troll — I assumed the PERSONA of a troll to write the piece!

Confessions of a Troll

By Richard H. Fay

Made miserable by my sad life,
Tortured by my tormented existence,
Discomforted by my bedeviled being,
I have turned toward distressing others.

Toxic sludge streams in my veins.
Noxious crud clogs up my heart.
Hurtful thoughts course through my head.
Wicked words spew from my mouth.

Warped mind twists inconvenient truths.
Barbed tongue spreads venomous lies.
Idle hands wreak grievous havoc.
Gnashing teeth form vicious grin.

Evil ideas lead to vile acts.
Foul actions lead to fell fate —
Shunned for shitty conduct,
Damned for damnable deeds.

NEW POEM "Religious Hypocrites"

 

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.

Of Art, Politics, Truth, and Human Rights

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.