artisticcollaborations

[artisticcollaborations]

Poetry Chain (finished!)

Thanks to all participating poets who wrote this very long, yet very beautiful tale of love and war! Originally, we conceptualized the poetry chain to consist of twenty verses (two verses written by every poet). You wrote two strophes each! As it turns out, some stories need more verses to be told. It's a long read under the cut, but it's worth it!

Word collection: renewal, moon, horizon, eyes, ignite, soar, fleeting, blush, dusk, sinking, burning, star, summer, rose, adolescence, blood, faith, crushed, winter, storm

Participants (in order of written strophes): @strawberrystarcake @rudolphsboyfriend @goneahead @betweenthetimeandsound @mkaugust @kindledshadowpoetry @she-wears-glasses @env0 @sha-ms @scaevolawrites

.

She was born on the horizon of a war-torn land.

Bathed in the glowing blood of gods

.

Every Sunday her mom took the wine as she prayed

From Mondays, hard liquor was god in its stead

Now she lives like a gun, the only time she has faith

Is when the powder kicks in and the bullet flies straight.

.

The paved city heat taught her how to survive

And that feverish life burrowed through her insides

Now it runs in her veins, burning into her soul

She’s setting ablaze anyone who comes close

.

He was born where mother ocean cradles

the vast wide bones of ancient mountains,

a sea dragon’s son with more salt than blood

in the blue of his veins, pull of the tide in his smile.

.

A summer storm drove him to the grey concrete

harbour of city streets. Now he sits and watches

her over his glass, a woman of smoke and burning.

He watches, and hears the hiss of lava, hitting the sea.

.

What is adolescence, other than an open-air cocoon

without any guarantee that the wings will bear flight?

As children, they saw glass shattered across the floors,

then dared to walk on them like flamingos in water.

.

As they glance at their wounds, pustulent yet elegant,

they only now tolerate pain, knowing what it means to survive.

At night, they bathe themselves in the milky moon’s light,

because they don’t know what it tastes like when milk is sweet.

.

When winter comes,

the storm starts again;

it's a different storm this time.

.

Still, they know what it means to survive,

what the burning and the blood will mean,

their newfound faith in each other is not crushed,

their hopes not yet dashed.

And in that faith borne through the storms of strife,

Wounded, healing; safe harbour beckoned

An entirely new feeling growing in the darkest hour.

Renewal - like seeds sewn from Persephone’s hand - emerges the blossom of hope

Taking root and binding them as they dare to look forward.

Where a past self would burn all that surrounded her, the molten turmoil lashing forth,

Like the phoenix demanding freedom and trusting none - spurned in a gilded cage,

Instead is her own heart at risk of going up in flame,

Ignited, exploding at the sight of him.

Where a past self would not know sweetness, she had walked into his life

Shackled with need, he was unable to fathom life without the taste of her.

Her kiss divine Ambrosia, a salve for his soul.

To him, she was the key to his salvation and his ruin.

.

At first, he was terrified of all of these feelings,

because when he first looked into her eyes he saw

all of the fireworks and sparks dancing in her hazel eyes;

the same fire that she’s always had,

but this kind of fire he saw in her

wasn’t so much from her pain but

it was the kind of fire that would suck him in.

Smoke from her flames and his water

darkening their surroundings to where he only saw her.

She was addicted to his cool eyes

that calmed her fears and kept her flames as fireworks and sparks,

instead of violent explosions.

As days turned to weeks, turned to years,

both of their heartbeats continued to soar for each other;

no fears or hesitations, her fire and his water were like

yin and yang; they belong to each other, a perfect fit.

.

Sun-licked skylines scored the land Blackened soil of her homeland silt slips A duskless dustless land, burning with its people’s passion Time spilt from battle-broken hourglasses

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Consummate and consuming of his salt-water soul Twinkled as he steamed into the dark sky A wink among many hopes that pierce the blanket of night From her peeling lips, his name survives

.

Her soul yet again fleeting from the outside world, she tries and burry herself within their memories though she wakes up every morning with a smile, even when the bruises run deep, for she saw him in her sleep.

. Every time she does she opens their favourite book, put aside the last rose she pressed, and read the only highlighted line: “When the horizon is free from smoke, I’ll be home again!"

.

The time she spent here with him, a place made of ink and imagination. It used to make her blush. But now a single touch from him is enough to comfort her.

.

It has become their thing, sinking into a world of their own choosing. Freed from everything else; free to just be.

[artisticcollaborations]

Before I open my eyes 

I reach out and fumble the light switch 

And it feels grippingly sour 

Lemondrop martini sucking on a copper penny

Eyes fly open desperately

Seeing only a stale musk glaring

This pungent looking room

Bathed in Applewood smoke sunshine

The footfall pounding in my eardrums 

Makes up for the paralysis within my digits 

Traffic and the road slush it kicks up rakes

A frigid brain freeze finger ’twixt my temples

I smell the outline of a treescape

Watercolor scented still life

The waft of the overcast glare

Sends me covering my nose in protest

As I choke back the deafening swallow

The static of the bedsheets crack like puffed rice 

On my tongue, curling around your name 

The first time you said it on the phone 

Note: this is the collaboration between myself and @haikkun as a result of the CPR Challenge!! She's amazing and wonderful and if you don't follow her, GET OVER TO HER BLOG AND FOLLOW!! ❤

[artisticcollaborations]

Mountain Light

[artisticcollaborations]

To Christmas with Love

Holiday lights line darkened streets and hope to compete with the cosmos. This bright burning, desire to glow brighter than ever before. There is a design behind beauty and a fire burning for those to see what we are made of. This season of love, the test for open chests, hearts that express their very best to others. 

Ironic that it comes in the darkest of times when the sun almost refuses to come out. When the days are short, it seems we rely on the strength of our love to carry each other through. That is what this season does to you. It is all about turning outward for once. Concentrating on another’s joy instead of on our own and that just overflows everywhere I go. That is why I love this season so much.

Hearts warm despite the dark and the cold. Despite the long winding road, we walk. Travelers talk and they care, what are you doing here! With love they impart pleasantries to those around them. Melodies that stem from open hearts and here we are, United, life brightened, by a common desire, to raise others higher, to brighten their day, in any way, we can. 

Love transcends and that is special to behold. Carols sung, cookies being passed out, warm fires lit as families gather with hot cocoa to sip. The lights all around kindle the way to each other’s hearts! The happiest season is here, when the heart refuses to surrender to the cold, and lights a fire of its own. The joy, the warmth, the gift giving whether big or small, seem to bring out the best of us, like we have been saving this all year to be released at this perfect moment, wish it was always Christmas time!

c.S. and e.v.e. 

Beautiful heartwarming collaboration with @argumentsfromwithin

[artisticcollaborations]

113. Stardust & Fragments

A 5-part poetry series written in collaboration with the amazing @fragments-of-my-mind.

Part 1: Two souls first see each other through the darkness – she seeing galaxies in his eyes, he seeing oceans in hers.

Part 2: They relinquish restraint and share their first touch, their first embrace, their first lips’ caress.

Part 3: The nearness grows, building up to a closeness longed for.

Part 4: An anticipated second kiss is shared, and they begin to find in each other a growing peace.

Finale: “Fragments and stardust, both become one.” ✨

[artisticcollaborations]

VISIBLE

A collaboration with the great @paulmee What a fantastic edit! Love it!

[artisticcollaborations]

Pure Relief

Let’s create a world, my dear

Unpolluted and completely pure

We could see the first snowfall

Without fearing the bitterness

Of sheer cold

Or from within

 Indoors, safe, where we’d be,

The fireplace would crackle,

As would the lights behind your eyes,

And when you’d catch me staring,

Your lips would curve up a bit

And I may finally

See you

Smile

 The fire flickered light across our faces

And brought bright life to your expression

The ice we had in our hearts

Thawed from its diamond hardness

Softer, now

We watch each other

Fall like snow

This poem was a collaborative work with @vacantinkandprettypink (V.I.P.P) It was an absolute pleasure to create something together :)

We went back and forth writing and revising stanzas trying to really describe a feeling we have in common. It was a fun creative pursuit and I would encourage anybody to try it! 

[artisticcollaborations]

A monstrous love

I am looking for people who can break me worse than you so maybe I can love them more than you.

Search for them if you must, you won’t find any who could break you worse, for they all have hearts. It takes a heartless monster like me to break someone so beautiful like you.

I wish you realise that even with all your monstrosity, I love you.

What’s the point of loving a monster when he can only bring you pain, and nothing else.

As long as the monster loves me back, the pain is passion.

What’s a love without a heart, for monster’s heartless.

Yes, my monster is missing a heart for he left it with me and I am protecting it within me, I grew a new ribcage to keep our hearts safe, I am keeping our love safe.

You protected his monsterous heart and monster learned to live without it, you nurtured the love that existed and the monster was filled with only rage. The heart you keep safe with you, will no longer fit within the monster, the atrocities have occupied the space which once belonged to a heart.

If it doesn’t fit, I will dig a hole in his chest, I know he won’t mind for he loves me to death.

Dig a hole if you must, wouldn’t need to be too big for the heart you might have kept safe would be a meagre one, he’s a monster at your disposal.

And I love him to death.

Amidst the pain, the harshness, the heartlessness, he loves you too. Tears stream down his face, as he tries to hide away. You, so beautiful, he can’t bring himself to look in your eyes.

I will take his face in my hands and look him in the eyes. We won’t need any words to talk about the love we gave to each other, for each other. The eyes never lie and his are the most beautiful ones that make me sigh. They say beauty lies in the eye of the beholder, my beast is my beauty and my eyes only show a reflection of him, of his heart, of his love, of his beauty no matter what.

Your eyes looking into his will melt him, melt him beyond anything he ever imagined, he’ll get lost in the deepness of your eyes, clutching on to your hands for dear life, as if they were holding him from falling into the pits of nothingness. Your warmth will calm the coldness in his veins, your touch will soothe his nerves racked soul and he’ll fall, fall like he never did before, fall in love with you, all over again.

And I will be his anchor for life for he has saved me from drowning in this light. When he falls, I will fall with him and we will be rising above in love, with love, for love.

He holds your hand a little tighter, still teary eyed, gazes up and says, “Look at the stars, look how they shine, for you.”

And I can only look at him, he is my star, my sun, my moon and my universe.

He sees the love in your eyes, holds you closer, a silent prayer escapes him, to always keep you safe, to always keep the love safe.

And safe I am in his arms, in his heart and safe he is in my arms in my heart.

- @justscribbledwords & @fragments-of-my-mind

[artisticcollaborations]

As their flaws intertwined, and time rewinded,

Everything fell into place, without any of them minded.

They felt each other like they had never felt before,

Was it perfection or desperation, nobody knew, both were lost in the moment.

- Engsted & DG

Beautiful collab with @zendenera (her words in bold, mine in italics)

[artisticcollaborations]

These words don’t make sense without someone to hold, but my lips have been swallowing sand to bury hands that measure spoonfuls of the sun in your laughter. We could capture city lights in seasons light enough to stick to the outside of our palms, sing in outlines that foreshadow an encore too bold for a broken window - but the fastest way to fill silence is placing my thoughts on your chest. I have been waiting for you since my soul has remembered your name. City is so crowded and my mind is so loud. But every time I hear your name everything goes silent. And I start smiling like my heart is covered with flowers and my cup of coffee never gets cold because I always drink it too slow.

A collab with the darling @blueemelancholia (via teacup13)

[artisticcollaborations]

A beautiful sunrise

She’s the reason You are happy And you are The reason I’m happy, I hate her But I don’t.

Oh but she only Seems to be the reason  I’m happy, When I’ve never really Found happiness, In anyone other than  You.

You found happiness In me by keeping me At an arms-length.

Keeping you At an arm’s length Was for your good, Any closer  And I may have Burned you.

Keeping me at An arm’s length, But never Letting me go.  How was Trapping me In the open Ever be good For me.

Would let it go  The string I was Holding on to, Go if you must  No longer trapped, But know this You take my happiness  With you.

I want to go but I cannot leave, Not when you Call me happiness,  Yet chose her To make you happy. You say you care Yet go on And hurt me. If you do love me Let me know And let me go, Don’t ask me to leave Because a body Without a heart Is just a Dead person walking.

You can leave And take my happiness, If you lost yours  It can come in handy. I was hurting and she came, She’s great  Though I didn’t find happiness It was lost with you.  She knows it Says I’m hollow Tells me I’m heartless And it’s a total mess. You don’t have to be Without a heart, Take mine by all means If you must, I’ll exist without it, If that is indeed what I must.

I could have been Your happy and Your happiness, But you Never wanted me Even though You needed me The most. You do not Get to decide Whether I should be With you or not. You say you’ll burn me  If you hold me any closer, But look at me darling I am just ashes, Left of the passion You showed me for her.

How could I never want you, When in every crowd I pass through I search for you. Dark and grey has taken over Since you left, No colors exist anymore. I have no say I know For you’re hurt too. You may be ashes, But oh my dear You’re ashes of the phoenix Which will rise again. The passion you talk about, The feelings, the emotions, They don’t exist anymore, She has deemed me heartless.

Wanting someone And having someone, Are two different things And even though you say You wanted me,  You kept me away, Thinking you were Keeping me safe While all you did Was hurt me.

I hurt you When all I wanted was, To keep you safe. You see, I don’t trust myself, I want you, But I don’t think  I deserve you. What if you come  And my demons  Make your life miserable, Rather than better.

Nothing can make me More miserable than Not being with you. I’d rather be sad with you Than be happy anywhere else.

I can’t let you be sad, I’ll do whatever I can, To make you smile, To make you happy, For you deserve nothing less. Will you be by my side When the tides get high.

If you want me To be happy then Take me in your arms, Let me be there For as long as You can hold me. I need nothing more Than you to Keep me alive. Let the tides get high, We will be higher By being at Each others sides. Let us shine bright Like a beautiful sunrise.

Come then, My arms are wide open, Let me hold you. I’m clumsy But I won’t let you fall. You’re too precious. With you by my side  We’ll fight and defend, Whatever comes our way. We will glow, Shed our tears, Immerse ourselves, In each other, A beautiful sunrise, indeed.

a collaboration between @fragments-of-my-mind and @justscribbledwords

[artisticcollaborations]

Stargazing

Underneath the dark sky, he lay wondering about the stars, some shining bright, others not so much, he was in awe of the beauty of them.

Just like some days, when we’re shining bright and on some, we dim our lights.

Why would we dim our lights though, he wonders in desperation, afraid he might not like the reason.

Yet he looks at the stars, hoping to find the answers, past the silent night.

In their brightness, he finds a peace that he didn’t feel existed.

In that moment the joy and happiness seeps in, the company of a billion stars bought him the love, that merely the world couldn’t give.

He couldn’t hold back the tears from falling though, the celestial love was indeed the best of those that existed.

He could only wish for a companion who’d admire the silent side of the universe with him, because that’s all he seeks for.

His longing for her increased in such situations, it was as if the stars were shining for them and yet she was far away.

Maybe even she wondered the same, longing for his presence but the universe had it’s own charm, to collide souls in its own magical way.

He wondered if she was staring at the same sky as he was, she always loved the stars he recalled, and in that moment he wanted to reach out to her, but no means.

So all they could do, was look at the dark shiny sky, and admire the different shapes of the clouds, searching for a face that only their souls knew about.

In the brightness of stars they found each other, tear stained, broken smiles and not wanting to let the other go, yet it was but a mere mirage.

Blinking eyes, and trying to fix that smile they believed the universe had a lot to offer, for the kind of souls they were, they wouldn’t stop until they’ve found their crystal.

The crystal they desired was the other person and both trusted the universe to make it work for them for they knew when one wanted something all the universe conspired to help that person achieve it.

That is what kept them going, in spite of being stabbed a couple of times. They knew the universe was in their favor, and things would eventually fall back into place.

Stabbed yet they didn’t perish, neither did the love they had for each other.

So they sent their love to the stars, wishing to keep it safe.

Sending their love, they smiled, a smile, no longer broken, but hopeful, they shall meet again.

- DG & Jann

An amazing collab with the pretty awesome @trustonlystars (My words in bold, hers in italics)

[artisticcollaborations]

Thoughts over the horizon

Over the horizon, he sees a ship, aboard are the people going away, escaping.

Life’s troubles, and problems they want to leave behind; escape the only solution in their minds.

They always said if you don’t face your troubles you’ll never get through them and he couldn’t understand why they’d run away.

He had been taught that running away is never the answer even if you are alone and afraid; take heart and face them; be brave!

Perhaps their problems got bigger and they couldn’t handle and they just wanted to drift away.

But as much as they wanted to disappear and fade, he knew life’s troubles would follow them just the same.

Maybe they would, but for them this was a getaway they had been planning for a while, and now they sailed towards the unknown.

Free for a while, or so they thought, not knowing the price to pay for this momentary respite would be a heavy one.

They were perhaps willing to wither away after the temporary respite, if indeed that is what awaited them.

But he knew when you are in pain and confused and don’t know what to do, right choices are a difficult thing to choose.

The right choices perhaps didn’t matter, they were prepared to have a momentary peace, even if that meant a lifetime of hardship.

Escapism, they don’t remember they adopted, but now it is just a fact, a constant, a way of life.

In their grand escape, they got away from the clutches of their hardships, only to perish in the journey to nowhere.

They lost their opportunities to grow, to learn, to be brave and their hope.

Maybe he couldn’t understand the extent of their suffering, perhaps they were meant to perish. A tragedy, indeed.

He reflects, ponders and mediates; does not judge but feels empathy for the fate of others instead.

- DG & e.V.e

An amazing collab with the wonderful @heartofmuse (My words in normal font, hers in italics)

Written for @inkstay October prompts of the month #7: write something with someone else

[artisticcollaborations]

-Waiting-

Like the eagle on its 40th

I will find my rest

In thy Father’s will

I will dwell in peace

Knowing I’ll be safe

Though this process

Maybe painful and tough

I will keep on waiting

Till my new beak grow back

Like a pearl formed through pain,

Subtly, slowly, swelling..

But surely exquisite in its time

A treasure worth waiting for

In its season,

Crafted carefully by Your hands,

Purposefully perfect,

Gently refined,

As You promised it would be,

Till it all comes forth as You designed

Stronger as I stand focused

Humbly, I am steadfast and calm

My eyes are fixed on His promise

Nothing can kill this faith

My hope is anchored on His reality

I will unravel the mysteries

Find the meanings beyond my mistakes,

Piece by piece, grace upon grace,

Should time dissolve like sand in my hands,

I have resolved to wait

As Your Word to me stands

(DF & DE)

A poem collaborated by:

@theaslan17 & @alittlelessclueless

[artisticcollaborations]

Popup Peer Review 1 (October 10-15)

First paragraph of your work-in-progress

Welcome to Artistic Collaborations first Popup Peer Review! This week’s theme is the first paragraph/opening section of a wip. It’s all about a strong, clear opening and grabbing the audience’s attention. Beginnings can be brutal - together they don’t have to be!

If you have a piece you want reviewed, either post it to your blog and tag #acpopup and AC will reblog your piece, OR send AC a message indicating that you have a piece ready for review. (Make sure your piece fits the theme of the week).

At the end of the submission period, you will be paired with a review partner (you can request additional partners). Please read the post on submission requirements and peer review etiquette.

Feel free to ask any questions. AC will post instructions to help you through each step!

[artisticcollaborations]

Popup Peer Review 1 (October 10-15)

First paragraph of your work-in-progress

Welcome to Artistic Collaborations first Popup Peer Review! This week’s theme is the first paragraph/opening section of a wip. It’s all about a strong, clear opening and grabbing the audience’s attention. Beginnings can be brutal - together they don’t have to be!

If you have a piece you want reviewed, either post it to your blog and tag #acpopup and AC will reblog your piece, OR send AC a message indicating that you have a piece ready for review. (Make sure your piece fits the theme of the week).

At the end of the submission period, you will be paired with a review partner (you can request additional partners). Please read the post on submission requirements and peer review etiquette.

Feel free to ask any questions. AC will post instructions to help you through each step!

[artisticcollaborations]

Popup Peer Review 1 (October 10-15)

First paragraph of your work-in-progress

Welcome to Artistic Collaborations first Popup Peer Review! This week's theme is the first paragraph/opening section of a wip. It's all about a strong, clear opening and grabbing the audience's attention. Beginnings can be brutal - together they don't have to be!

If you have a piece you want reviewed, either post it to your blog and tag #acpopup and AC will reblog your piece, OR send AC a message indicating that you have a piece ready for review. (Make sure your piece fits the theme of the week).

At the end of the submission period, you will be paired with a review partner (you can request additional partners). Please read the post on submission requirements and peer review etiquette.

Feel free to ask any questions. AC will post instructions to help you through each step!

#acpopup #popup peer review #peer review #work in progress #writerscreed #poeticstories #poetryportal #poetryriot #brokensoulsuploads #songoftheclouds #twcpoetry #weekly themes