seeing as how i have a built in aversion to anything sci-fi,, i had to take the prompt for read write poem in a bit of a different direction this week…..
twas me mother who told it
and she wouldn’t lie
she would rather cut out
her heart - or an eye
than spread the non truth
and so i decree
i me-self,, am the spawn
of the screamin’ banshee!!!
as me sweet mother told it
twas a quiet,, dark night
the candles was lit
and the fire was bright
they was havin’ a sip
of the irish whiskey,
when outta the mist
come the screamin’ banshee!
they heard her a comin’
but no one did run
as they was tippin’ a bit
and havin’ great fun
and no one was about to
abandon the bottle
yet there she was-
comin’ at ‘em full throttle!!!!
the menfolk they coward
behind the women’s full skirts
not a brass ball among ‘em
the no good irish flirts
and as she approached
it became clear to see
she had a wee babe in her arms…
and that wee babe was me!!!!
“quit your whinin’ ye wankers
you’ve nothin’ to fear
i am here to give, and not take
you got lucky this year!
i can’t find a sitter
me old mans on a drunk
and there’s no one to mind
this, my wee little punk!!”
then she handed me off
and she fled into the wood
not screamin’ at all
rather laughin’,, but good!!!
they stood there all quite
each not quite believin’
the rare piece of luck
they’d been blessed with this ev’nin
that luck gave out quick
it went straight to ye midden
as they lifted the blanket
to see what they’d been given
twas the face of an angel
all pink skinned and red haired
” a little piece of irish heaven!!”
me auntie rosie declared…
and just at that moment
for no reason at all
me face wrinkled up
and i started to bawl
and let out a scream
heard from here to the sea
and erased any doubt
as me own sweet mother will tell ye-
that i am the spawn of the screamin’ banshee!!
photo:
http://plim-chan.deviantart.com/art/The-scream-64789938
May 5th, 2008 at 6:19 am
Great voice in this poem! I can hear the Irish brogue. You are so good at bringing characters alive through speech.
I hate sci-fi, too, and thought at first I’d skip this prompt, but am glad I tried it. I’m glad you did, too! I had a nice chuckle this morning!
Linda Jacobss last blog post..Sci-Fi for ReadWritePoem
May 5th, 2008 at 6:21 am
Quite the tale you’ve spun Missy.
Brians last blog post..Black Holes and a Ship called “Desire”
May 5th, 2008 at 6:33 am
There’s a Pub Song if I ever heard one! That was terrific.
My parents made me listen to the Rovers back in the day and I cannot get The Orange and The Green out of me ‘ead..no matter how hard I scrub.
Who would have guessed that Ireland would become the economic sweetheart and succerss* story so quickly.
I can’t help but be intrigued by Sci-Fi because we are making such a mess of it all, and we always have, that the only hope is the future. Which will also be a disaster if history is any indication.
That being said look at us now…still clinging on to ancient mythology and tradition in the 21st Century. Amazing. I remember listening to Bowie’s 1984 back in the 70s and thinking Wow we (the collective we) are going to really start moving forward in a few years and John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ will be our anthem.
Boy-O-Boy was I wrong.
*success comes at a high price but it must certainly be better than the Troubles?
Donns last blog post..
May 5th, 2008 at 7:35 am
this is excellent! it’s making me all nostalgic for poems i read as a first year english student…
vesper de vils last blog post..My Mittens
May 5th, 2008 at 7:41 am
Brilliantly done!
Now, you may think that wasn’t Sci Fi, but many cases of alien abduction have parallels with banshees, fairies, etc. Just swap hybrid alien child for changeling.
AnthonyNorths last blog post..HOW NOT TO WRITE #1
May 5th, 2008 at 8:15 am
This could be a Pogues song. My Grandmother was terrified of banshees. She lived in fear of them and claimed a distant cousin had been turned to stone by hearing the cry of one on a cold, winter’s night. The Irish are very superstitious people. You really honed in on that. You amaze me every time I read your wonderful work.
Selmas last blog post..Just A Bit Of Peace And Quiet
May 5th, 2008 at 8:23 am
I like the dialect way this goes!
gautami tripathys last blog post..clawing crawlies—-Read Write Poem/Monday Poetry Train
May 5th, 2008 at 8:33 am
Ah, someone nicked my comment, I was going to say the Pogues thing too. Very cool
Jos last blog post..Pssssssssst
May 5th, 2008 at 11:18 am
Excellent, very entertaining.
You know, though, I’m not an SF fan and I wrote the prompt!
Crafty Green Poets last blog post..Planet Earth 2020
May 5th, 2008 at 11:43 am
the menfolk they coward
behind the women’s full skirts
not a brass ball among ‘em
F*CKING AWESOME
meleah rebeccahs last blog post..A 1st Date
May 5th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
I love the poem.
Ole Blues last blog post..Humpty Dumpty Jam
May 5th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
I’ll hide behind Meleah Rebecca and say what they said, as that is my reaction, too. I’ll have to lead my Irish pals here.
Rethabiles last blog post..El último tercio
May 5th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
I too could hear the voice in this piece..and had a mental picture of the whole thing..well done
May 5th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
I’m amazed at all the voices you create through your writing. This is a narrator I’ve never met before, full of honest good humor about her odd beginnings. Wonderful imagination too, paisley.
I think anything in the category of fantasy or dreams works for SF too, don’t you? I’d call this a gothic poem, which in my mind is related to SF. It’s all good!
Christines last blog post..Writing about myself
May 5th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
“not a brass ball among ‘em
the no good irish flirts”
This was great!! Hilarious.
May 5th, 2008 at 6:57 pm
Awesome!
Noahs last blog post..Lunacy
May 5th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
haha You’ve got that irish accent down real well, I could hear ye speakin to me lassy! (or is lassy scottish??)
So well done Jo! xxoo
lucys last blog post..The wobbly years
May 6th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
..no good comes from irish whiskey… other than county cork irish whiskey… and an irish coffee… forget the coffee it’s too strong… thanks i hadn’t heard ya wanker in years!!!… now that was so good p im still laughin… thanks for the light hearted laugh…
May 6th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
Ay that was grand!
White Roses last blog post..Lady of New Orleans
May 11th, 2008 at 12:32 am
paisley paisley , i am so happy i came this far. This was so beautifully written, brilliant. I loved the ending and you have an absolute command over the characters ….nothing escaped you.
Now I ´ll go see what the rest of your blogs are all about.
May 11th, 2008 at 8:06 pm
From the title to actual voice I hear as I read this…simply awesome; one of my favorites.