Piety (Dragon poems, mini collection)

 

  Praise for Jess C Scott

  “[Please] keep up the good work . . . the world can certainly use some more authentic, original work like yours, rather than the same old re-packaged mass-market pulp.”

  — TGirl Revelations / Bibrary.com, October 2010

  ***

  “Ever since I came across Jess C Scott’s teenage blog novel, EyeLeash, I’ve known that some very talented writers will emerge from the epublishing revolution.”

  — Joseph Grinton / October 2011

  # # # # #

  PIETY

   

  www.jesscscott.com

   

  Copyright © 1995-2011 by Jess C Scott.

  Cover design by Jess C Scott

  Cover art by Fotosearch

  https://www.fotosearch.com/CSP325/k3254724/

   

  All rights reserved.

  First Edition: October 2011

    

  Summary: A 1000-word dragon-themed mini poetry collection by author/artist/non-conformist, Jess C Scott. “Piety” is the prototype for her London Underground Trilogy (forthcoming dragon-themed urban fantasy series; 2012).

  # # # # #

  Author’s Note:

   

  I own the website, www.dragonsinn.net — the following poems are in tribute to The Dragon (a symbol of excellence, and so much more).

  These poems (and other excerpts by a bunch of talented poets/writers!) are available on my website @ https://dragonsinn.net/poetry.htm

  -- Jess C Scott / jessINK

  Table of Contents

   

  + Mini Poetry Collection +

   

  Autumn

  Red Dragon

  Ravenous Appetite

  Battle

  Guardians

  Dragons of Ice

  Sleeping Dragon

  Death Dragoness

  Piety

  The Steeple

  [Haiku: The Dragon Set]

  [Haiku: The Dragon Set .02]

  + [Guest Post: Blending Fantasy and Sci-Fi] +

   

   

  PIETY

  Mini Collection (Dragon Poems)

   

  Autumn

   

  Red and golden leaves

  Swirl, caught in a dance as the

  Dragon unfurls. An

  essence of light and candor,

  unbound by earthen

  ashes as he rises to

  the topmost branches

  before he leaves and

  all the trees will be

  but

  bare.

   

  * * *

  Red Dragon

   

  Hue of life’s blood; the

  Passion and fury beneath

  Like molten lava.

   

  * * *

  Ravenous Appetite

   

  A dragon, unfed,

  Thrashing about in a rot

  Iron cage. Unleashed.

   

  * * *

  Battle

   

  Sky-high, blood and bone

  The shred of wings - a fallen

  Scream that marks the end.

   

  * * *

  Guardians

   

  There was once a time when

  They ruled our Earth

  All the land was owned by them

  The mighty beasts of Dragons.

   

  Rulers of the seas and oceans

  Kings of the Sky and Sun;

  Queens of the Stars and Moon

  They were the Guardians of the Earth.

   

  Then came Man

  Demanding and commanding

  Driving them from all their dwellings

  Into dark caverns to lie in.

   

  The Dragons took flight as freedom was theirs

  Where to, no one knows—but

  Don’t the Sun and Moon still rise?

  Don’t the waves still wash upon the shore?

   

  If they had left our Earth for good

  There’d be no sunlight

  There’d be no rain:

  Nothing would live again.

   

  Until the day they decide to wake

  To leave all Earth in the hands of

  Man, always will the Dragons be

  The Guardians of The Earth.

  ~ 1999 / first decent dragon poem / 12+ years old.

  * * *

  Dragons of Ice

   

  The Moon becomes a

  Silver sphere,

  reflections in the water:

  just as clear.

   

  It’s snowing…

  but time is

  Frozen

   

  Winds are howling

   

  but silence rests

  Unbroken.

   

  A sudden

  Surge revives;

  its vibes know boundless

  Power.

   

  A solitary stare: he

  Knows you’re there.

  Stances are fixated

  Yet souls intently move.

  Affirmation

  and honour is yours thereafter—

  The dragon beckons:

   

  The kinship is awoken.

   

  * * *

   

  Sleeping Dragon

   

  To an eyeless mind -

  a pile of dusty bones

  To human carrion

  a rotting carcass

  A figure cast in stone

  to desensitized bodies

  A whimsical relic

  to lost, wearied souls.

  Lying undisturbed -

  as peoples toss and turn

  Soundly in wait

  as cities crumble

  The dragon sleeps

  while worlds wage war

  And awakes refreshed

  when strife and pestilence

   

  are no more.

   

  * * *

   

  Death Dragoness

   

  Let her come to you...

  The end is naught

  But the real beginning

  resist

  and your soul will know

  Unrest

  let her find you

  and you both will soar

  beyond the deepest nights

  beyond unconquered depths.

  She’s pain and joy

  intertwined

  tears and dreams

  personified

  She’s never spoken

  and yet you’ve known her—

  who can understand

  the meaning of her being?

  Whosoever unlocks the

  mystery

  has sealed the fate of

  forbidden

  certainty

  hence

  proceed

  and fly away!

  Your heart’s yearnings

  to be fulfilled;

  Your spirit’s cries

  to rest in sanctity.

   

  * * *

  Piety

  Piety was inspired by a painting of a knight kneeling before a green dragon.

   

   “Piety” | Artwork by Jan Patrik Krasny.

  =====

  The prince was deep in the heart of the endless forest.

  He knew the dragon was near.

  “She glows like a green crystal,” the town’s ma
gi told him.

  “Get her before she gets you.”

  The prince was ready with his quiver of deadly, mercurial arrows.

  Mercury meant instant death to a forest dragon.

  He couldn’t waste a single arrow—

  and then he realized

  that the forest had gone deadly quiet

  and even the air was still with the chill of Death.

  A warmth on the back of his neck

  and there she was

  with clear amber eyes

  her whole body glowing:

  the spirit and lifeblood of the forest itself.

  The prince could release the arrow

  straight into her eye

  But Why?

  And she toyed with his conscience

  testing simultaneously, her own patience

  The prince relented

  Threw his bow and arrows upon the ground

  Side by side

  They were safe and sound

  The townspeople took the prince for dead

  When he never returned with the dragon’s head

  When with her, he stayed

  She thought he’d be too afraid

   

  But he loved her too much instead.

   

  # # # # #

   

  The Steeple

   

  This short piece was inspired by “Dark Spire”

  Artwork by I-NetGraFX.

  Written in Dec 2007.

  =====

  Perched high, drops of mercury fell upon her glistening back. All of life had come to a standstill, all of life was crowded onto a single point.

  One claw teetered over the edge, right wing held out for some balance. She saw him, circling mid-air, silvery-black in the distance.

  The city was depending on them. Here they were, leaving.

  Let’s go, he cried out to her.

  With a last look at the city they had spent the last 16 winters in, she took off into the starless, midnight amber sky.

  Stay safe, she silently wished.

  With them, Hope was gone.

   

  # # # # #

  [Haiku: The Dragon Set]

  Author’s Note: I like to write haikus in sets, if I can. This came out a bit “weirder” than expected, but hey, I don’t dictate to the Muse...

  1. Chemical Brothers

  Of the same flesh and

  blood. Immortality

  is their Destiny.

  2. Superlative

  The day I flew with

  The dragon was the day I

  Became Excellence.

  3. White Claw

  A pint of dragon’s

  blood and a claw - if you can

  get them: Youth is Yours.

  4. Here We Go

  Dive from a hundred

  Feet, from heaven to the ground

  in Less than Zero.

  5. How Does It Feel?

  To be perceived to

  Not exist, by humans that

  Must at least taste good...

  6. Tea With The Black Dragon

  Is the answer in

  the tea leaves, or the eyes of

  Your draconic host?

  7. The Dragon as Venus

  The cool, seductive

  Icy gaze belies the heart’s

  Ferocious fire.

  8. The Tattooed Girl

  Kimono slipping

  off her white shoulders to bare

  her dragon backpiece.

  9. -Love-

  Physical distance

  Is nothing a wide wingspan

  Couldn’t overcome.

  10. The End of the Millenium

  The first crack appears,

  He will soon have his first breath

  Of shocking fresh air.

  ~ © Jess C Scott . Dec 12 07

    

  # # # # #

  [Haiku: The Dragon Set .02]

  Note: Deep Purple and NEW ORDER influenced!

  1. Green Dragon:

  Guarding your forests,

  Waiting, observing, taking

  Down lurking hunters.

  2. Mist Dragon

  Seeing all, drifting

  Unseen, silent as air - she

  Knows the world’s secrets.

  3. Fireball

  Unless you want to

  Be snuffed out like a candle

  flame - don’t anger him.

  4. The Midgard Serpent

  Devours itself,

  In an eternal cycle

  Of self-renewal.

  5. Courtesan

  Oh, she’ll have her way

  With you, have you for dinner,

  Then spit your bones out.

  6. Smoke on the Water

  A thin trail of grey

  Smoke lingers above the lake,

  As he star-gazes.

  7. Crystal

  Scales glistening like

  Crystal; multi-shaded hues

  Like a prism beam.

  8. YinYang

  A purple scent that’s

  Made of 2 parts heart’s blood, and

  2 parts dragon’s blood.

  9. Regret

  She has no regrets

  Living her life of combat,

  Valor, and hoarding.

  10. Viking Longship

  From yonder o’er

  The high seas, fast encroaching:

  Here Come The Dragons.

  ~ © Jess C Scott . Dec 12 08

    

  # # # # #

   

  [BLENDING FANTASY AND SCI-FI]

   

  The following guest post was originally published on 7 Dec 2010, courtesy of Jackie @ Literary Escapism.

   

  Jackie: Today, I am excited to welcome Jess C Scott, author of the fabulously new fantasy novel, The Other Side of Life, the first book in a new cyberpunk elven trilogy.

  =====

  Blending Fantasy and Sci-Fi

  Jess: My upcoming publication is an urban fantasy project titled, The Other Side of Life [Book #1 in the (Cyberpunk) Elven Trilogy].

  It can be classified as:

  Urban Fantasy / Cyberpunk / Elf Punk / YA with adult crossover appeal

  It also includes a love story (which takes some time to build up; the characters “get to know each other” first), action/adventure, and a touch of philosophy.

  Most of my work tends to blend and/or cross several genres. My first book was a blog/IM novel, a coming-of-age story set in the digital era (formatting the book was a nightmare!). My second book is a multiple-genre-crossing erotic short story collection. My third novel is part of a contemporary YA “seven deadly sins” series featuring a diverse range of cultural influences.

  This latest project is no exception. While it is challenging to combine both fantasy and science fiction—which annoys some of the hardcore fans of each respective genre, in its classic, “undiluted” form—it is the adaptability of speculative fiction (which covers both fantasy and sci-fi) that I find really appealing. The genre allows for lots of imagination, relevance, and (perhaps demands for) clarity in both thought and language, to be able to present whole new worlds and ideas, to readers.

  Cyberpunk is a derivative of science fiction. While my novel isn’t hardcore sci-fi, I invested quite a lot of time into capturing the soul/attitude of cyberpunk. This includes the aspects of counterculture and rebellion, the whole part about cyberpunk being “high tech and low life,” and the impact (usually negative) of technology upon humanity (and social interactions, by extension). George Orwell’s 1984 was a big inspiration.

  As for fantasy, I’ve always been drawn to elves and dragons (I own the huge 11-year-old dragon website, https://dragonsinn.net). They both contain a timeless and majestic quality; they are the epitome of fantastical creatures which blend beauty, intelligence, and power. I thought it’d be a nice combination—to bring together the more ethereal and refined qualities of the fantas
y genre, with the tough realness and edginess and “now-ness” of cyberpunk. You’d get a sophisticated type of hybrid genre, if the elements were mixed correctly.

  I might anger some folks, with my unrestricted merging and “cross-pollination” of genres. But I’d rather do that, than be accused of reusing/recycling/rehashing things that have already been done before.

  After all, defying mainstream formulas seems quite typical of (cyber)punk.

  SHORT SUMMARY:

  A thieving duo’s world turns upside down when an Elven rogue uncovers the heinous dealings of a megacorporation.

  EXCERPT:

  Social status. Nin reacted with vehemence, to the words. A strict adherence to the laws of hierarchy didn’t seem to work for humans or elves. It always resulted in a stratified society marked by inequality, by differences among people that were regarded as being in a “higher” or “lower” class.

  Nin dreamed of a utopia, where happiness was more important than financial gain, where both the human and Elven races took responsibility for their actions, and practiced peace and kindness because it was morally right, not because they were “following the rules.”

  But he knew that was being too idealistic.

   

  # # # # #

   

   

   

  About the author:

   

  Jess is an author/artist/non-conformist, and an English/Business graduate of Adams State College.

   

  About Piety, she says, “I’ve always liked the fantasy genre (dragons and elves, in particular). I like working in a range of other genres too, though I always focus on the storyline and characters. I favor substance over current fads and marketing hype.”

   

  Jess is currently completing her cyberpunk elven trilogy. She enjoys the speed and efficiency of indie publishing, and thanks you for your support of indie authors.

   

  Other titles by Jess C Scott:

  EyeLeash: A Blog Novel (teenage memoir/sexting)

  Porcelain (portfolio of written + illustrative work)

  1: The Intern (Book 1 [Lust] in the Sins07 Series)

  Fashion Icon (special edition)

  4:Play (anthology)

  AFF (Asian Factual Fiction)

  Primal Scream (anthology)

  The Devilin Fey | SVEN | Kylie (Naked Heat anthology)

  The Other Side of Life

  (cyberpunk elves trilogy; 2012)

  London Underground Trilogy

  (urban fantasy / dragon series; 2012)

  And more on jessINK.

  Connect with Jess Online:

   

  Website: https://www.jessINK.com

  Facebook: https://facebook.com/jessINKbooks

  Twitter: https://twitter.com/jesscscott

  E-mail: [email protected]