#OctPoWriMo Day 28: Carving Into the Gooey Bits

Mr. Skeleton on a Rampage by Maria L. Berg 2021

For Tourmaline .’s Halloween Challenge, carve, I went to grab a carving knife from the knife block, but it was missing. Mr. Skeleton had gotten to it first and had gone on a skeleton candle murder spree.

Unlike yesterday, I had a lot of fun this morning, and everything worked the way I wanted it to. My photo shoot was inspired by the original Halloween movie (affiliate link) poster.

I have really enjoyed this photography challenge this month. Not only does it get me up and active first thing, with creative production before breakfast, it involves crafting and engineering. I’ve enjoyed how the different prompts have worked together, so the graves I didn’t finish one morning, filled out the graveyard on another morning. There’s been a nice balance of creating scenes inside, outside, and bringing the outside in. I’ve tried so many new things and feel like I’m mastering some new techniques. I’ve also explored my space in new ways and appreciate all of my Halloween decorations for their versatility.

I found these one-word daily prompts so inspiring, I plan to continue during November. For NaNoWriMo I’m working on a thriller novel called “Abandoned Property,” so I’m creating prompts to go with that theme. I’m working to come up with prompts that will be as inspiring as Tourmaline .’s Halloween Challenge has been.

Killer Shadow
Killer Shadow by Maria L. Berg 2021
Halloween Slasher by Maria L. Berg 2021

OctPoWriMo

Today’s prompt, “Tea,” took some thought, but then I thought of charming elderly ladies which led me to Arsenic and Old Lace and I thought of the practice of reading tea leaves for divination, and decided tea would fit in nicely as spooky inspiration.

The 2018 prompt was “Split in two” which goes well with that carving knife.

Today is Open Link Night at dVerse Poets Pub, so let’s see if I can carve out a poem to share at the pub.

My Halloween movie poster with bokeh jack-o-lantern face.

Seen in the Tea Leaves

Finally split in two
I’ve broken through
to the gooey bits
where dualities splash
and clash in banality
a mystery of flesh
starving to carve

the protective coating
cracked, gives and crashes
around the periphery
as sharp edges
glitter in steel
in jittery fists from shivery
spinal nerve trickery

contradictory cleavage
poking at pains hoping
for gains by slicing
and dicing then displaying
the gore as horror torn
and shorn from its
safest hiding places

the conditionality of
sanity sliced by a
skeleton’s carving knife
in the morning light
dazzles momentarily
before it scares me
and I put it away.

The Other Slasher Comes to Play by Maria L. Berg 2021
Slasher Protege by Maria L. Berg 2021

And after I thought I was done taking pictures, kitty went to learn at the feet of the master slasher. Of course, this was meant to be a secret transaction, so he ran off the moment he saw I was taking pictures.

Happy Reading and Writing!