Tagged The Clarity of Night
For Laure-Alda, from Francis
For this July’s Clarity of Night “Uncovered” Short Fiction Contest I created a piece of poetry (with narrative movement to meet the requirements of this contest), inspired by Jason Evans’ image of gemstones here. You can read my entry Forties Club Finalist #22 here.
Laure-Alda and Francis aren’t strangers: they are characters from one of my story ideas. This poem started as a 200-word flash fiction piece written from Francis’ POV. After a few hours I realized that the fiction could be extracted to make a poem or rather, a love letter. I’m using love letters to explore Laure-Alda and Francis, their lives, their friendship, and their current circumstances (such as it relates to the story).
Listen to the audio (MP3 link below), and be sure to spend some time at The Clarity of Night this week – there’s a lot of good reading to be had.
Audio:
For Laure-Alda, from Francis by Jade Leone Blackwater
* * *
For Laure-Alda, from Francis
by Jade Leone Blackwater
If we awoke
clasped in sunlight
and found that the lump in my throat
had burst and broken
birthed a trinity of gemstones
to my dune grass pillow
would you cradle the tokens
to your nose as dew drops in the palm
watch colors radiate along our wrinkles,
remember our love for what dazzles,
burns us with brilliance?
Would you join me at the gorge
gulp turpentine and cinnamon wind
knock the sharp, sacred clap
which calls the rainbow-scaled fish-sage who,
in his high lip-pop dialect,
whispers “Only when the moon is dark,”
until the incantations crack
open our skull caps
into which we’d drop jewels
as cherries to dish, wait
for the western orb to reach the zenith
blaze its beam down and scoop us both moonward?
* * *
Clarity of Night “Uncovered” Short Fiction Contest
"Uncovered" Short Fiction Contest Image
When: Opens July 19th, submissions accepted for 10 days
What: Write a short fiction piece (or a poem with narrative movement) in 250 words or less, using the contest photo as a starting point.
Who: Everyone is welcome to participate.
How: Learn more and read the full submission details at The Clarity of Night
Writers, don your thinking caps: it’s time for the 13th Clarity of Night “Uncovered” Short Fiction Contest, hosted this July by our friend Jason Evans and co-hosted by Stephen Parrish, author of the debut thriller THE TAVERNIER STONES.
If you’re a past participant of Jason Evans’ Short Fiction contests, you already know what a rewarding, supportive, fun experience they are: writers from across the blogosphere join in the celebration, offer supportive feedback, and share their creations inspired by a common photo. The “Uncovered” inspirational contest photo is shown here, created by Jason Evans, to offer a good challenge for seasoned and aspiring writers alike.
Among the benefits of participation are the great prizes which Jason has once again topped for contest #13: $290 in prize money will be awarded (Amazon gift certificates), including $100 for 1st Place, $50 for 2nd Place, and $35 for 3rd Place. Writers everywhere can appreciate this generous opportunity to share their work with an engaged audience and take a crack at a cash prize.
Reserve some time this month to write a new work of short fiction, and remember — don’t just write your story and run… you’ll have more fun if you make a little extra time to read through the entries, offer feedback to the other participants, and engage with Jason Evans’ generous writing community. You never know whom or what you’ll find lurking at The Clarity of Night… Read you there!