On the Ninth Day of Halloween: Parade of the Raven Prince

Posted on October 27, 2020 by Angela Yuriko Smith
Ryan Aussie Smith

On the ninth day of Halloween my true love gave to me… a reading of “Parade of the Raven Prince.” Written for Nina D’Arcangela‘s Ladies of Horror monthly photo prompt I can really tell which of my ‘unpublished poetry’ folders Ryan favored.

Why did I write it? This is one of my favorites because of the amazing photo. I had an instant adoration for this jolly macabre-ster. I wanted to join him in the woods. Surely he was up to something wickedly fun. The photo communicates joy of life to me without forgetting that death is why we have the joy. Knowing our time is limited spurs us on to make use of the days we have.

I can’t help but share this amazing image:

Image by blackrabbitkdj from Pixabay

This is “Parade of the Raven Prince,” written by me and performed by Ryan Aussie Smith for Nina D’Arcangela‘s Ladies of Horror monthly photo prompt.

Parade of the Raven Prince, written by Angela Yuriko Smith and performed by Ryan Aussie Smith
Music: Twelve Days Of Christmas by Alexander Nakarada
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5503-twelve-days-of-christmas
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

You can find all the 13 Day recordings as they publish here.

Posted in #amlistening, #AMWRITING, #KCLocal, #MakeItLocal, #Poetry, #ReadLocal | Leave a comment

On the Eighth Day of Halloween: She Waits

Posted on October 26, 2020 by Angela Yuriko Smith

On the eighth day of Halloween my true love gave to me… a reading of “She Waits.” This was also written for Nina D’Arcangela‘s Ladies of Horror monthly photo prompt.

Ryan Aussie Smith

Why did I write it? From May 2019, the image shows the statue of a horned goddess. She kneels in a river, pondering. I imagined her watching a new batch of tasty pilgrims approach. She welcomes their delusions. The last stanza is my favorite…

She savors
the pungent meat
of self-inflicted calamity
briny with weeping
fresh on the bone.

It reminds me of how we are so often our own worst enemies, weeping over situations we have done to ourselves. This is “She Waits,” written by me and performed by Ryan Aussie Smith for Nina D’Arcangela‘s Ladies of Horror monthly photo prompt.

She Waits, written by Angela Yuriko Smith and performed by Ryan Aussie Smith

You can find all the 13 Day recordings as they publish here.

Posted in #amlistening, #AMWRITING, #KCLocal, #MakeItLocal, #Poetry, #ReadLocal | Leave a comment

On the Seventh Day of Halloween: Hiding From Monsters

Posted on October 25, 2020 by Angela Yuriko Smith

On the seventh day of Halloween my true love gave to me… a reading of “Hiding From Monsters.” This was for Nina D’Arcangela‘s Ladies of Horror monthly photo prompt and isn’t included anywhere else.

Why did I write it? This was written this past June as most of us were reeling from the non-stop drama in the news. Besides the pandemic we were beset by wildfires, hurricanes, riots, Karens, rampant job loss, a crashing economy and… murder hornets. I know I’ve forgotten to include a few crises on this list.

When I was trying to write my poem for LoH, I was at a loss for words. My mind was numb and I was caught between anger, fear and disbelief. The photo I was assigned featured a desert vista, flat with no where to hide. Somehow that image and current events combined in my mind to become this poem.

This is “Hiding From Monsters,” written by me and performed by Ryan Aussie Smith for Nina D’Arcangela‘s Ladies of Horror monthly photo prompt.

Hiding From Monsters, written by Angela Yuriko Smith and performed by Ryan Aussie Smith
Music: Twelve Days Of Christmas by Alexander Nakarada
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5503-twelve-days-of-christmas
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

You can find all the 13 Day recordings as they publish here.

Posted in #amlistening, #AMWRITING, #KCLocal, #MakeItLocal, #Poetry, #ReadLocal | Leave a comment

On the Sixth Day of Halloween: Monster Apparent

Posted on October 24, 2020 by Angela Yuriko Smith

On the sixth day of Halloween my true love gave to me… a reading of “Monster Apparent.” This poem was written in August 2019 and does not appear in my recent Altars and Oubliettes. I’ve held it back to include in the next collection I’m working on titled Post Consumer to be released April 2021.

Ryan Aussie Smith

Why did I write it? This is a very personal poem for me. Based on a real event, a woman hit a man bicycling to an Easter sunrise service. She had been partying and was intoxicated. The worst part is after she hit him she drove away. By the time he was found it was too late—he was dead. Paramedics reckon he would have probably survived if he could have gotten medical help.

This is one of those instances when I’ve used writing for therapy. I was so angry at people in general that drink and drive, oblivious to the damage they can do not only to themselves, but someone else. Ironically, years later a similar situation has returned to haunt me. My ex-son-in-law just hit and killed someone a few months ago. Again, I turn to writing to handle the anger.

This is “Monster Apparent,” written by me and performed by Ryan Aussie Smith. Published in my newly released poetry chapbook Altars and Oubliettes, available on Amazon here.

Monster Apparent, written by Angela Yuriko Smith and performed by Ryan Aussie Smith
Music: Twelve Days Of Christmas by Alexander Nakarada
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5503-twelve-days-of-christmas
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

You can find all the 13 Day recordings as they publish here.

Posted in #amlistening, #AMWRITING, #KCLocal, #MakeItLocal, #Poetry | Leave a comment

On the Fifth Day of Halloween: Three Deaths

Posted on October 23, 2020 by Angela Yuriko Smith
Ryan Aussie Smith

On the fifth day of Halloween my true love gave to me… a reading of “Three Deaths.” This is another written for Nina D’Arcangela‘s Ladies of Horror monthly photo prompt—I think her prompts inspire some of my best work. This one was written back in November 2018 and is included in my newest chapbook, Altars and Oubliettes, available on Amazon here.

Why did I write it? I had just read that in Mexican tradition, people die three deaths. The first is when the heart stops beating and the body grows cold. The second is when the body has returned to earth and ash. The third and final death is when no one is left that remembers your name.

Perhaps we’d all be a little friendlier if they sounded like this. This is “Three Deaths,” written by me and performed by Ryan Aussie Smith. Published in my newly released poetry chapbook Altars and Oubliettes, available on Amazon here.

Three Deaths, written by Angela Yuriko Smith and performed by Ryan Aussie Smith
Music: Twelve Days Of Christmas by Alexander Nakarada
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5503-twelve-days-of-christmas
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

You can find all the 13 Day recordings as they publish here.

Posted in #amlistening, #AMWRITING, #KCLocal, #MakeItLocal, #Poetry, #ReadLocal | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

On the Fourth Day of Halloween: Exquisite Corpse

Posted on October 22, 2020 by Angela Yuriko Smith
Ryan Aussie Smith

On the fourth day of Halloween my true love gave to me… a reading of Exquisite Corpse. This was originally written for Nina D’Arcangela‘s Ladies of Horror monthly photo prompt back in August of 2018. It’s also included in my just released poetry chapbook Altars and Oubliettes, available on Amazon here.

Why did I write it? The image is just a skeleton’s face close up. At the time I was putting together some exquisite corpse poems (find many of them here). Confusing, I know. This is not an exquisite corpse… just titled that. To make matters worse, I think I have a short story somewhere of the same title. I do like making the most of things.

This is “Exquisite Corpse,” written by me and performed by Ryan Aussie Smith. Published in my newly released poetry chapbook Altars and Oubliettes, available on Amazon here.

Exquisite Corpse, written by Angela Yuriko Smith and performed by Ryan Aussie Smith

You can find all the 13 Day recordings as they publish here.

Posted in #amlistening, #KCLocal, #MakeItLocal, #Poetry, #ReadLocal | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

On the Third Day of Halloween: The Lady in Gray

Posted on October 21, 2020 by Angela Yuriko Smith
Ryan Aussie Smith

On the third day of Halloween my true love gave to me… a production of “The Lady in Gray.” This was written for the recent Poetry in the Graveyard LIVE readings that Amy Zoeller and I did at Woodlawn Cemetery.

Why did I write it? This is my tribute (and bait) for local ghost legend Lady in Gray to pay us a visit. No one knows who she is, but after I had all the strange technical issues outside the Vaille Mausoleum, I suspect it may be Mrs. Vaille herself, also a local ghost legend. You can watch the video for that here.

If poetry makes good ghost bait, be assured I’ll be writing many more like this. This is “The Lady in Gray,” written by me and performed by Ryan Aussie Smith for Poetry in the Graveyard LIVE readings with Amy Zoeller (Hipness and Outrage).

The Lady in Gray, written by Angela Yuriko Smith and performed by Ryan Aussie Smith
Music: Twelve Days Of Christmas by Alexander Nakarada
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5503-twelve-days-of-christmas
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

You can find all the 13 Day recordings as they publish here.

Posted in #amlistening, #AMWRITING, #KCLocal, #MakeItLocal, #Poetry, #ReadLocal | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

On the Second Day of Halloween: Digital Djinn

Posted on October 20, 2020 by Angela Yuriko Smith
Ryan Aussie Smith

On the second day of Halloween my true love gave to me… a reading of “Digital Djinn.” This was just written this week for Nina D’Arcangela‘s Ladies of Horror monthly photo prompt so it isn’t included anywhere else.

Why did I write it? When you see the photo Nina sent, you’ll understand. A woman stands in a doorway looking back. There’s tech distortions across the image as if we see her on a screen. If you look close enough, you realize she’s floating in the shadows. I can imagine finding her trapped in a thumb drive on some dusty bookshelf… waiting for freedom.

This is “Digital Djinn,” written by me and performed by Ryan Aussie Smith.

Digital Djinn, written by Angela Yuriko Smith and performed by Ryan Aussie Smith
Music: Twelve Days Of Christmas by Alexander Nakarada
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5503-twelve-days-of-christmas
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

You can find all the 13 Day recordings as they publish here.

Posted in #amlistening, #KCLocal, #MakeItLocal, #Poetry, #ReadLocal | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

On the First Day of Halloween: Sympathy for Monsters

Posted on October 19, 2020 by Angela Yuriko Smith
Ryan Aussie Smith

On the first day of Halloween my true love gave to me… 13 recordings he produced of my poems. This is the first, and one of my favorites because he changes his voice up to match the three monsters in the poem.

Why did I write it? This was one of the responses I did for Nina D’Arcangela‘s Ladies of Horror monthly prompt group. The photo was of tentacles reaching up from a sewer cover. It occurred to me that our reaction to monsters is usually negative… but what if they just want to be friends?

Perhaps we’d all be a little friendlier if they sounded like this. This is “Sympathy for Monsters,” written by me and performed by Ryan Aussie Smith. Published in my newly released poetry chapbook Altars and Oubliettes, available on Amazon here.

Sympathy for Monsters, written by Angela Yuriko Smith and performed by Ryan Aussie Smith
Music: Twelve Days Of Christmas by Alexander Nakarada
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5503-twelve-days-of-christmas
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

You can find all the 13 Day recordings as they publish here.

Posted in #amlistening, #amreading, #AMWRITING, #KCLocal, #MakeItLocal, #Poetry, #ReadLocal | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Tomorrow Begins The 13 Days of Halloween!

Posted on October 18, 2020 by Angela Yuriko Smith

Halloween, most happy of all holidays, draws near. With it, a new tradition… The 13 Days of Halloween. My true love has prepared a series of recordings for me to share here beginning tomorrow. Prepare to deck your halls with boughs of bone and batwing.

While we wait, I improved (in my mind) upon the traditional Christmas ditty…

The Thirteen Days of Halloween

On the first day of Halloween my true love sent to me
a Chupacabra in a scary tree.

On the second day of Halloween my true love sent to me
two flesh-eating grubs
and a Chupacabra in a scary tree.

On the third day of Halloween my true love sent to me
three darkling ravens
two flesh-eating grubs
and a Chupacabra in a scary tree.

On the fourth day of Halloween my true love sent to me
four murder dolls
three darkling ravens
two flesh-eating grubs
and a Chupacabra in a scary tree.

On the fifth day of Halloween my true love sent to me
five shape-shifting Things
four murder dolls
three darkling ravens
two flesh-eating grubs
and a Chupacabra in a scary tree.

On the sixth day of Halloween my true love sent to me
six ghouls a-slaying
five shape-shifting Things
four murder dolls
three darkling ravens
two flesh-eating grubs
and a Chupacabra in a scary tree.

On the seventh day of Halloween my true love sent to me
seven sins all deadly
six ghouls a-slaying
five shape-shifting Things
four murder dolls
three darkling ravens
two flesh-eating grubs
and a Chupacabra in a scary tree.

On the eighth day of Halloween my true love sent to me
eight ghosts a-skulking
seven sins all deadly
six ghouls a-slaying
five shape-shifting Things
four murder dolls
three darkling ravens
two flesh-eating grubs
and a Chupacabra in a scary tree.

On the ninth day of Halloween my true love sent to me
nine werewolves prancing
eight ghosts a-skulking
seven sins all deadly
six ghouls a-slaying
five shape-shifting Things
four murder dolls
three darkling ravens
two flesh-eating grubs
and a Chupacabra in a scary tree.

On the tenth day of Halloween my true love sent to me
ten vampires feeding
nine werewolves prancing
eight ghosts a-skulking
seven sins all deadly
six ghouls a-slaying
five shape-shifting Things
four murder dolls
three darkling ravens
two flesh-eating grubs
and a Chupacabra in a scary tree.

On the eleventh day of Halloween my true love sent to me
eleven witches watching
ten vampires feeding
nine werewolves prancing
eight ghosts a-skulking
seven sins all deadly
six ghouls a-slaying
five shape-shifting Things
four murder dolls
three darkling ravens
two flesh-eating grubs
and a Chupacabra in a scary tree.

On the twelfth day of Halloween my true love sent to me
twelve heads a-tumbling
eleven witches watching
ten vampires feeding
nine werewolves prancing
eight ghosts a-skulking
seven sins all deadly
six ghouls a-slaying
five shape-shifting Things
four murder dolls
three darkling ravens
two flesh-eating grubs
and a Chupacabra in a scary tree.

On the thirteenth day of Halloween my true love sent to me
thirteen cursing crows
twelve heads a-tumbling
eleven witches watching
ten vampires feeding
nine werewolves prancing
eight ghosts a-skulking
seven sins all deadly
six ghouls a-slaying
five shape-shifting Things
four murder dolls
three darkling ravens
two flesh-eating grubs
and a Chupacabra in a scary tree.

Posted in #AMWRITING, #KCLocal, #MakeItLocal, #Poetry, #ReadLocal | 1 Comment