Story and Poem of the Month

Our Story and Poem for the month of September have very kindly been chosen by Parson Thru:

Poems

Great poetry pieces to choose from this month.  In the end, Coolhermit’s poem “Tenebris Interlucentem (into the darkness… light)” hooked me with its cruel but unavoidable parody of pub readings. It’s a great piece of contemporary realism with grittiness and soul. Crucially, it turns; only for the burning bush to vanish in smoke and be quenched by those most basic of pub-goers’ needs. Great title, too, appropriately borrowing from James Elroy Flecker’s poem. A clever, deserving pick of the month for September. https://www.abctales.com/story/coolhermit/tenebris-interlucentem-darkness%E2%80%A6-light

Also strong, winking_tiger’s “Green” evokes those summer days of groups (bubbles?) clustered on patches of grass. It conveys a strong sense of place and emotion that many readers will know, drawing on effective but subtle apostrophe. It leaves enough ambiguity for the poem to linger in the reader’s mind. Lovely final stanza. I wonder who broke that heart? https://www.abctales.com/story/winkingtiger/green

A powerful poem from london_calling79. “Run” called to mind Ginsberg’s “Mescaline”. But these attacking lines within their short punchy stanzas slash and cut, perhaps reflexively at the speaker.  Again, the final lines leave a lingering thought. https://www.abctales.com/story/londoncalling79/run

JupiterMoon’s “teeter” uses a sparse and strong syntax and phrasing to emphasise the violence inflicted on nature and green space by human activity, leaving the bittersweet feeling that nature will outlive human folly. https://www.abctales.com/story/jupitermoon/teeter

Stories

A similarly strong representation of prose pieces. I found sean macnulty’s “Something You’ll Have To Live With” a lovely read.  Wonderful use of language throughout, appropriate to setting and characters. Sean’s carefully chosen metaphor works well without being obtrusive, for example on the beach beside the strange object where “Everyone was compelled into silence in its presence as though it had the fearsome hushing power of a most exalted library.” Wonderful stuff.  The characters are rich and believable, for example the machinations of the town’s Mayor during a meeting to discuss the object on their beach, and the small but important details of Dr. Ryle and Sally the “photo-getter”; these help bring the piece to life. The hatchling itself is a looming absence. This enchanting mystery is my suggestion for prose pick of the month.  https://www.abctales.com/story/sean-mcnulty/something-youll-have-live

I also enjoyed Noo’s “Let’s share”. We get three tales in one; four with the narrative. Noo brings us quickly into the setting and breathes life into the characters. It’s such a visual piece, I can almost see it on a minimalist stage. The comedy has a ring of plausibility that gets the hook bedded home. I couldn’t help liking Noo’s three oddball creations and their off-the-wall tales. Unobtrusive writing.  Great stuff. https://www.abctales.com/story/noo/lets-share

“Brewster’s Way 1” by Kilb50 is another entertaining read. I warmed to the characters quickly, drawn in by a great storytelling style. It covers a lot of life quickly with its third person narrative, and feels like it has potential to develop into a lived-in experience with a more dramatic telling. Great readable yarn. https://www.abctales.com/story/kilb50/brewsters-way-1

“Toxic – Chapter 14” feels very contemporary with elements such as Sierra photographing herself in the mirror to post on social media. The tight dialogue feels fresh and current. The dog really adds something to the dynamic and is nicely handled by cliffordben502. This has the feel of a story that could go somewhere. https://www.abctales.com/story/cliffordben502/toxic-chapter-14