Holes

Holes by Paul F. Lenzi

Poesy plus Polemics

“Grief” by Vrindavan Das

empty spaces
in places where
laughter and life
never needed
much thought
blood and bone
disaffected
abandoned to deep
metaphysical wounds
of fierce absence

we miss them
the dead and the gone
voices vanished
the echoes that loved us
attenuate time
washed out images slip
from the eyes of the mind
fade from pages of
notional scrapbooks
unfinished relationships

sadness resigned with
reluctant acceptance
of loss in a rich blend
of memories forming
a tincture of grief
an emotional balm
made to infill the holes
left in souls that might
otherwise die
incomplete and alone

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Gus

A little scary Halloween story by Nina D’Arcangela for Pen of the Damned.

Muttering to himself as he always does, ole Gus shuffled to the basement door, pulled it open, and carefully descended the barely lit stairs. Once in the subterranean cavern – as he liked to imagine it – he began searching the dusty shelves for boxes marked ‘Halloween’ in Ester’s neat, tidy handwriting. God rest her soul. Given what a pain in the ass his wife had been in life, he’d never thought he would miss her nagging so much now that she was gone. Oh well, done is done, can’t dwell on the past. That’s the way he’d always lived his life, no reason to go changing now. If he could just get the damned Priest from their church to stop coming by, he could finally catch up on his shows. That old coot would do just about anything to get a little extra change on the Sunday…

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Maxwell’s Cellar

Maxwell’s Cellar by Andrew Forman.

“Brett, wake up.”

His voice echoed, came to my ears from great distance.

“Wake up, you worthless slag.”

Cracks of light burned my eyes. Slowly they grew until I saw the familiar boots of Sam Brooks. Those stupid fucking skull buckles… Peculiar how my first thought lent itself to something so unimportant.

He grabbed my collar and pulled me from the floor. “Come on, you shit, we’re going to see the boss.”

My attempts at a response led to no success. Throat dry, lips cracked, desperate for water—I couldn’t even croak. Not that I knew what the fuck I would say. I had no idea where I was and little memory of how I got there. Something about a bar and a yellow neon light; I’m pretty sure it was shaped in the name of some cheap beer.

Sam dragged me down the hall, jeans riding along the splintered…

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RELEASE: Child of Fire by Ela Lourenco | Dragon Born: Book Two #Fantasy #YA

The Sirens Song

Sirens Call Publications is pleased to announce the release of the 2nd book in the Dragon Born series…

Child of Fire

Ela Lourenco

The darkness is rising; the shadows on Azmantium grow stronger with each passing day. Only one can hold back the tides of destruction – only the Chosen One can walk the path of light – the Child of Fire…

The ever brave Lara, still reeling from the revelation surrounding her origins, will be plunged head first into the plotting schemes of several secret factions as each side battles to win the sacred Karnac – the ancient and perilous tournament to decide the future King. Lara must overcome her fear and embrace her true self if she is to learn how to control the power boiling under her skin, and evolve into what she was fated to be.

Treachery and deceit loom over her every step, her path…

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Blinding Insanity

Slashed open in a fit of uncontrolled rage, my gouged and bleeding thigh is nothing but ravaged flesh; it is the thrill of his attention upon me that is beyond compare. As my blood races, he hears it pulse; as my body quivers, he feels it vibrate; as my mind screams, he hears it echo through his own damaged being. He is ever present – this beast, this creature, this untamed demon that stalks me.  Believing me no match for the power his darkness wields, he has been gentle with me till now, wishing not to frighten me with what he truly believes himself to be.

Clawed arm raised to strike again, his breathing is heavy, as labored as my own; his from restraint, mine from fear and desperate longing. He pauses, his hard stare boring into that of my own, gauging if I go willingly or as that…

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RELEASE: Mental Ward: Experiments | #Horror #Experiments

The Sirens Song

Sirens Call Publications is pleased to announce its latest release!

Mental Ward: Experiments

A dank basement, shadow filled hallways, the deep echo of a metal latch being thrown while faint screams are heard… These are the things you might experience in a place where the unspeakable happens, where conscientious action and moral turpitude turn a blind eye in the interest of advancing one’s own personal pursuits in the most deranged and unjustifiable manner. The type of place where power corrupts, and depravity runs rampant among those imbued with it. A place where the unfortunate are abandoned to the devices of those who convince themselves their actions are in the best interest of science.

Mental Ward: Experiments is a collection of ten short stories that demonstrate the worst of humanity’s ambition in the interest of ‘civilized’ advancement. Step into a world where sanity is left behind, and horror is what the…

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RELEASE: Through Clouded Eyes: A Zombie’s Point of View | #horror #zombies

New Anthology released today. Through Clouded Eyes

The Sirens Song

Sirens Call Publications is pleased to announce the release of

Through Clouded Eyes

A Zombie’s Point of View

Through Clouded Eyes: A Zombie’s Point of View: a collection of twelve stories told from the Zombie’s perspective.

They’re shambling toward you, feet dragging on the broken roadway. Arms outstretched, faces slack, they move as if they’re tracking your scent on the wind. You want to run, but you know there’s nowhere to hide.

Aware of their insatiable hunger, fear paralyzes you.  These things were once human, people someone loved. Is there anything left inside them – some sliver of humanity that may save you from this nightmare? Your mind doesn’t want to accept the inevitable, a single thought consumes you: what are they thinking?

With your chance of escape dwindling, you snap out of it and run like hell knowing there is little to no hope; fate is coming for…

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