Emperor Neptune's Fish Tale

It's been a while since I last posted, I know. But your sassy Martian is back with her madness and a bit of extra snark, because I want to take my rage out by way of poetic prose (sorry, it's been a rough couple of months). But without further adieu, I give you Earthlings...

Emperor Neptune's Fish Tale

A collection of prose I wrote on the dot while I was stuck in the late 80s (forwent Internet) for some time last month, accompanied with some matching artworks, christened after this fellow

Emperor Neptune (Rag Doll Ben Shepherd as king of the deep) to emphasize both a maritime and steampunk vibe (being in close proximity to the ocean and the Central Valley, it seems reasonable)

This, along with many, many other things within my realm, says "this is me, inside and out, my inner torment is not, and go straight to hell if you think it is."

To my dad,

because you and I have been through so much.

To grandpa,

you left Earth nine years ago 

and I think about you every day.

To Ben for being with me in spirit,

you made a pillow for my sick head.

Dress warm and bring a towel: 

you may get cold and wet reading this.

~

Don't swim in the waves,

"Neptune's Warning", in pen and ink

I'll drown you out slow.

The red tide spills out

with the undertow.

Don't call me Poseidon,

I won't be your friend.

The stallions, they swim

where the hurricanes end.

Watch it with one eye

and leave your black gold.

Your ships won't stand

to the mists of cold.

Where's the whales?

The ones whose voices

rang through our souls?

Don't tell me you clipped them

for their own bones...

Mislearn your lesson, and make up the bed.

The pen strokes go with the crown on my head.

Mars is watching from her black bed,

so caution the blue, or feel up the dead.

"Emperor Neptune's Deep Blue"

Words by nirvhannah Shepherd

(c) nirvhannahgarden, 2015

~

"Wilson", in pen and ink

“Who's that? I ask, who's that? The guy with the bow and arrow and twixt into a pretzel?”

That's Archer Wilson!”

With a hat on his head,

and some arrows on his bed,

he's the best warrior you've ever seen.

He'll cut you in between

your schemes and scripts,

and to you, he'll bring a shift.

He's not a madman, but a hero:

he used to be your no. 2 zero.

William Tell would be proud,

of his power, bold and loud.

Wilson was his last name

and that Archer was his game.

Cross his toes and legs,

shaping into that of an egg.

Shoot an arrow 'til you're pegged,

and make you mercifully beg.

Don't cross him!

He'll only bite back.

Don't push him!

He'll leave with blue and black.

Just watch him! Watch him!

In his dark coat and shoes,

he sings his own blues,

and brings home the wins.

He'll wash away his sins,

and start over again,

he'll get you once again.

He's no fighter pilot or marine,

just the best archer you've seen.

He'll leave the battle scene,

perfect, spotless, and clean.

"The Ballad of Archer Wilson"

(Rag Doll Matt Cameron as the world's best archer)

Words by nirvhannah Shepherd

(c) nirvhannahgarden, 2015

~

Before the story begins,

"Meet Pinkie Borland", in pen and ink

first she'll bring it to an end.

And she'll brandish her right,

until the day becomes night.

Drain the green from the room,

and the opinions assume.

She'll never wish for the sun,

until the rain is done.

Building for the best,

and shaking out the rest.

Seneca shakes its head,

as she connives it to her lead.

And the shadows remain,

to leave them all insane.

And she'll harvest her ghostly seeds,

The pink stains where the purple bleeds.

I knew her frenzy would be brief

because it's all based off of relief.

I watch her with clouded eyes

while the rest of you reap her lies...

If it's pink you want, and a life of gold, then why let them wither with a young old?

(without a doubt one of the better villains I've come up with)

"Pinkie Borland's Frenzy"

Words by nirvhannah Shepherd

(c) nirvhannahgarden, 2015

~

"Chris and Vicky", in soft black charcoal

Blue-eyed beauty and his love,

posing under a cherry regalia.

I'll watch you soon from above,

and thespians will follow.

You'll be alone with a box,

singing high notes sans an orchestra.

Some others will pick the door locks,

and they'll wind intrusive light unto you.

They never seem to perturb you,

but only judge from the smiles.

So tell me what is true,

about the man with the creature voice?

Sing for me, my friend,

depressionists never slight you.

I'd rather watch the dark entries lighten,

and feel the nightfall brighten,

than sink into the devil's slough.

"Cherry Regalia" (tribute to Chris Cornell)

Words by nirvhannah Shepherd

(c) nirvhannahgarden, 2015

~

There you are, in all your power,

"Purple Motorvision" in colored pencil

you're a drink of water for the sun.

Burgeoning with a soft fullness,

bright-eyed and handsome,

you're a beautiful one.

Betwixt the animal and the showman,

alone in the shadow of the curtain,

hypnotic, driving, and internal,

entangled as a destructive marionette,

erratic as the Vortex,

gorgeous as your losing train,

the teasers never seem to frown at you.

You'll be there and feel the rhythm with your hands,

as their gazes fall onto the side away from you.

Don't be afraid: the rain will clear away

of their false smiles

and the glass will be kind to you.

So craze away in the violet light,

you're the beautiful one.

Isolation is your friend until Mars bestows you an empire and the Earth a garden.

"Madness in Violet" (tribute to Ben Shepherd)

Words by nirvhannah Shepherd

(c) nirvhannahgarden, 2015

~

"Jovian Savage Rag Dolls" in watercolor

Whenever you make something,

do it with best intentions.

But wish carefully,

or long for something in dried stone.

Whenever you dream of something,

do it with wisdom and perfection.

But don't stare at the sun too long,

or miss the stars as they rise.

Whenever you say something,

do it with poise and grace.

But bring home the harvest,

or nothing sown will be remembered.

Whenever you sink your teeth,

do it with utmost finesse.

But don't hold up the mirror,

when there's no reflection.

There are no creatures on Jupiter,

so why bother looking?

"Creatures on Jupiter" (inspired by Ben's song "Veritas" and vaguely by the Kiss album "Creatures")

Words by nirvhannah Shepherd

(c) nirvhannahgarden, 2015

~

I awoke tied up in reeds

"Drugstore Steampunkery" in pen and ink

with tape over my mouth

and I wasn't sure what to do

staying on the ground.

Some of us have a nest,

and some left at our best,

but what is it that's in between?

I'm watching the stars

asking to go far

but not so that I leave the earth.

What's so strange

about being strange

when it's all that we are?

Why watch the ship

when you could sail it yourself?

Why waste the water

when you could drink it up cold?

What's in the sky

and what's in the ground?

Saturn's rings staying in my glass

as it all becomes clearer to us in the class.

I believe that the house is a place

where our problems come to rest.

Not just to bring them to light,

but to pull them within sight.

With the feather in the hat,

and my legs less than flat,

I wonder if I can bring it all back...

Don't wait on the world

because we're moving so fast

we can barely see the good things last.

So take a breath and

the northern hexagon will take care of the rest.

"Saturnian Spyglass" (inspired by Soundgarden's song "Halfway There")

Words by nirvhannah Shepherd

(c) nirvhannahgarden, 2015

~

"Bleach Era", in mechanical pencil

You came from an island,

and you from oblivion.

You came together

and formed something

that would alter things forever.

The world turned on its head

after you said never mind,

and bleached your bed.

Now paint your pictures while you're gone.

I know you're not the only one.

Little long-haired man, why did you leave?

You disappeared while the other two moved on.

I heard the shot around the world,

you were done, found freedom from pain, and set free.

I can only dream what it'd be if you were still with them.

I can only dream what it'd be if you kept your head down.

I can only dream what it'd be, and that's all I can foresee.

If they could free your poltergeist,

and let you dream about a girl,

you'd rest and then fly,

stand before cars and stay away from their lie.

"Free the Poltergeist" (tribute to Kurt Cobain, Chad Channing, and Nirvana)

Words by nirvhannah Shepherd

(c) nirvhannahgarden, 2015

~

On the ocean, overlooking the riptides,

"Santa Barbara Calling", done in watercolor

by the darkening pier,
I lost myself in the reflection,

on the waves, of whale's tears,

sitting there, it'll be me,

kissing the salty water so sweetly.

Don't stop me from bereaving this earth.

I'll watch for the sharks,

so they won't bleed for me.

They don't bite, there's no teeth,

but they sting nonetheless.

Give me my gills and wonder on with a tail...

On the harbor, I watch the boats and barges,

like a sailor's mistress, a sinner without a cause,

a shadow's advocate, a clown skewed in warpaint.

The crests, they know why I'm here,

to trough the noise in my mind.

Don't watch the sharks,

they won't bleed for me.

They don't bite, they only decree

with their stings and arrows.

Give me my gills and wonder on without a tale...

"Fish Tale (Watch for Sharks)"

Words by nirvhannah Shepherd

(c) nirvhannahgarden, 2015

~

"The Poet and the Painter", in hard black charcoal

She's alone and driftless at her desk in what'd be an empty room.

Rainier to her right, and Shasta far behind in a darkened vacuum.

Her mother watches her, makes sure she does it,

makes sure she makes her proud.

She'll wield out a pound of craft from an ounce of tears.

And she'll stay away from the cold, hard cruelty of fears.

There needs to be something more than this, though.

Remember: the dark is your friend.

Keep your head up,

it won't worsen from here,

just mend what ails you...

I'm a sharp-shooter,

a slave to what enlifts

and keeps the clouds away.

It helps me dream,

but all else is frozen.

Yes, I'm a sharp-shooter,

a slave to the heart

but not what destroys it.

"Sharp-Shooter in Seattle" 

(vaguely inspired by Pearl Jam's song "Daughter")

Words by nirvhannah Shepherd

(c) nirvhannahgarden, 2015

~

I'm in here alone and I think I know why.

"Waiting for Something" in graphite"

I see the silhouette, I see it right in the eye

and I'm terrified now.

The noises around me send shivers,

and the darkness swallows me whole.

It's miles away and it's nearby,

take in the darkness as I delve for warmth...

It's cold and there's nothing,

except for the breeze.

But it drifts and walks on me;

Dreaming what may not be there...

"Down in the Darkness" (inspired by Ben's song "Koda")

Words by nirvhannah Shepherd, (c) nirvhannahgarden, 2015

~

"The One with No Light", done in pen and ink

So here I walk down the line, 

the line on Jacaranda.

I don't know where I am, 

and I don't know where to go, 

other than remain on the line on Jacaranda.

On one side are the clouds, 

the thousand-foot ravines,

and the window to the abyss. 

The gathering darkness watches with such a scowling eye. 

On the other side is the smoke

on the valley floor,

ten thousand feet of frigid stone,

and the jagged towers to the sky.

I'll ask the Cheshire cat if he knows,

just exactly which way to go.

I can't stop walking because I'll die alone,

will the xeric fertile world be my home?

I can't feel the cold because it's too numb,

what can stone spacescrapers bring to someone?

I can't sleep because that comes later,

or will the dark fog make chances greater?

I can't swim because I'll sink,

or can colliding waves help me think?

"Lines on Jacaranda"

Words by nirvhannah Shepherd

(c) nirvhannahgarden, 2015

~

"Prologue (Rush)"