Gentleman Scoundrel by Allison Arth
It's been a slow week at the old education factory, and I decided to take the newest "Gentleman" poetry game for a spin. Gentleman Scoundrel
Here are a couple Doskvolian (?) poems, a regular one and a Haunted Pantoum.
I tried to go as first draft, off the dome as possible on these, as much as I wanted to edit...
O, Inchoate Heart
I’ll scald my soul to open the door,
though sly devils dog my steps.
Branch by branch I build my own pyre,
these ropes on my wrists as thin as lace.
Three words flicker in the gaslight;
Beaded sweat collects and spells her name;
An ebony splinter shoved under my fingernail.
One day she’ll seek to end this war,
to remove this savage thorn.
Pry my teeth to summon darker fiends,
Line my veins with silver bells.
Obsession in a bead of sweat,
O, inchoate heart.
Bluecoat Blood Pantoum
Touch the brand and burn your palm,
the wage of sin has been paid tenfold,
the tide of ghosts ebbs,
they call me spineless and I spit in their faces.
The wage of sin has been paid tenfold,
a wandering spirit on a pearl-tipped pin,
they call me spineless and I spit in their faces,
Bluecoats bleed red blood.
A wandering spirit on a pearl-tipped pin,
gold saucers and a silvered wish,
Bluecoats bleed red blood,
sever the tendon and break the bond.
Touch the brand and burn your palm.