Are you Merry on Christmas?

I find great interest in stories of how others spend the holidays, Christmas eve, and what people actually celebrate in general. I think so far I found that for too many people Christmas is just an expensive holiday with lots of mall sales, cookies that stick to the belly, and most likely sticky family relations…

I observe my relatives and my friends’ families to see what they look forward to the most during the season. So, I wanted to ask you girls, what do you like about Christmas, or not, and what do you look forward to the most?

Do you have any favorite or funny stories?

It’s Christmas Eve

Hello Miss Havishams,

It’s Christmas Eve and I just got back from church. Guess what? The sermon didn’t change.

I hope everyone is having a restful break so far, I just wanted to update the blog a little bit.

I’m going out of town and will be home in Texas from Dec. 28- Jan. 11, and I’m hoping that we can meet for writing club the first week back at school.

How about 8 instead of 9 on Wednesdays? Let me know if the time change is a problem. I think we are still on the creative non-fiction track, but we are now focusing on embarrassing or amazing moments.

Post and let me know what you think!

Merry Christmas!

-Helen

Death of Self.

The wind shook the terror out of the trees,

The rain dancing patterns on the roof woke me

Taking the nightmare away.

I sit up in my bed wiping sweaty tears with

Friendly pillow, my hands shake, I cannot find

My glasses in the dark they disappear.

The clouds put the moon to sleep and the stars

Are blown off by wind, I grab a sweater

Locking the bedroom door I step outside.

The horizontal line of rain throws me off into mud,

I would think it another dream, yet something

Tells me not, it’s the cold drops pinching my skin sideways.

The shadows crawl up my spine taking over

The empty space of my soul, the wind is strong,

My body grows weaker, my spirit ever more.

Submission had never been my strength,

Nor would I agree to an authoritative hand,

Then how did the nightmare became reality?

My bare feet sink deeper and my heart so with

The last crack straight through the middle

Of a sinking Titanic into the freezing rain, deeper, deeper.

Shadow becomes me, merely a reflection

I do not recognize the hands, the feeling, or this voice,

Not my body I live in, my worst enemy entered.

A knife appears and I am not surprise at its shiny

Two sided blade, nor do I react to the way my hands

Hold it sliding through my chest deeper into my spirit.

I fall to the ground, death appears, as I open the door

Into a white eternity, walking through the death valley

I arrive home, green pastures surrounded by mountains.

‘Til Death

I can remember the day as though it were yesterday. The day your shoulder turned so sharply as you said the words, without speaking, that would stay with me ’til death: “I will haunt you forever”, you taunted. And though it’s been years and I’ve moved on from that troubled time (and you), your un-sounding voice still rings in my head.

Something happened this day; it came as surely as the red sun rose. And I should have taken note of the little things that forewarned me to not leave my door unlocked that night. The warnings came in hordes. In the way the creaky door opened as I left my building; it was the sound the floorboards used to make as you walked briskfully around our home. In the way the wind blew in my hair. It moved the curled, parted strands in the same way you would move them when we lay next to each other. In the way that the boy approached me at the coffee line. He only had the same name as you–he was only slightly shorter and had brown eyes instead of blue, actually, he didn’t look anything like you at all. In the way the sun shone at the exact same angle as the day you left my life forever. In the way that my mind made you to peek around corners and stare at me as I walked in the corridors at school; egging me on–making me paranoid with each step I took.

All day I ignored these–either from ignorance or denial–until the sun went down.

And it happened. This night I was visited by a ghost; you may as well have been a ghost. I knew as I saw the door open in the reflection of my black computer screen. And when I saw the ghost of you I asked, “is today the day? Has forever come?” And you nodded. You swept across the floor and clasped your hands around my throat. It felt like home; I was unflinching. Your touch was cold on my skin–so cold that my warm blood had stopped. It left its mark in the same way deep-rooted scars and cuts do. Then you invited me to a dance; eerie music played all around us. It cracked as though being played from my Grandmother’s old vinyl record player. We danced in time to this haunting, cracking tune for what seemed like eternity. Then the music faded to silence and everything was still. And when I laid my head down, I found forever had come–you were there. The words had really stayed with me ’til death. This night I laid unmoving, lifeless, forever gone to the world. This night, I laid with you.

Hey all!

Hey everyone!

I hope you are all doing well, fighting sickness and so on.

So tonight we are meeting in my townhouse, Daily 4, at 9, the normal time. I know some can’t make it, but that’s okay! We are continuing with a gothic theme tonight, and I think we will brainstorm for a new theme, which I will post here on the blog.

Also, I’m always looking for feedback, so let me know what works for you and what you would like to write about. Hope everyone has a good week, I know it’s getting to stress-time in the semester!

 

Hopefully see some of you tonight! For those who can’t make it, maybe see you in a couple of weeks!

 

-Helen

Update!

Hello lovely ladies!

How is the week going?

I just wanted to post a little update on the theme for Wednesday. I have composed a Gothic Shakespearean sonnet, so we’ll see how that one is received. I’m also currently working on a short story, but I probably won’t be near finished with it by Wednesday.

How’s everybody else doing? Don’t be afraid to post and let us know!

Super excited for Wednesday. Remember, we are all meeting in the Library parking lot at about ten til 9 so everybody has a ride.

Have a great day!!!

-Helen

Writing Contests

Here’s a cool short stories contest: http://www.americanshortfiction.org/?gclid=CIG97vOLvp0CFdVL5QodnytqiQ

Here’s a Poets & Writers contest: http://www.pw.org/content/grants_amp_awards_your_guide_writing_contests?was=/mag/grantsawards.htm

Here are some Writer’s Digest constests: http://www.writersdigest.com/competitions

Here’s a good listing of up-coming contests: http://www.oncewritten.com/WritingContests.php

These are just a few of many! Hope some of them tickle your fancy! Feel free to add more as you find them!