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103 Comments

  1. Rei Rosenquist
    Rei Rosenquist on March 29, 2020 at 4:01 pm

    Hi there! I am interested in having a story critiqued. Where do I go about posting it?

    • editor 1
      editor 1 on March 30, 2020 at 12:48 pm

      Hi Rei. Thanks for your interest. For now the stories we are picking from to critique are ones that have been submitted during Cosmic Roots & Eldritch Shores’ regular submissions rounds, and that have included a note indicating interest in a critique.
      We don’t know if or when we might expand past that.

  2. Erica Ciko Campbell
    Erica Ciko Campbell on April 1, 2020 at 10:06 am

    Hello everyone! I’d like to announce that I’ve recently had a few short stories published. “Macrophages” is a psychological horror story with SF elements, and you can read it for free on Writerfield: https://writerfield.com/macrophages/. The full Aggregate anthology in which it originally appeared is available on Amazon as well: https://www.amazon.com/Aggregate-Stories-Intersection-Science-Fiction/dp/B084P21YSV/

    My story “The Eternal War” was recently published in The Kyanite Press as well: https://www.amazon.com/Kyanite-Press-Winter-2020-Bass/dp/1949645975/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=kyanite+press&qid=1585749915&s=books&sr=1-2

    Thanks a lot for your interest! If any other first readers had stories recently published I’d love to see.

    – Erica Ciko Campbell

    • Mike Wyant, Jr.
      Mike Wyant, Jr. on April 9, 2020 at 1:18 pm

      Congratulations!

    • Jasmine Arch
      Jasmine Arch on April 17, 2020 at 6:45 pm

      Congratulations! That’s awesome news!

  3. TheQuester
    TheQuester on April 9, 2020 at 2:54 am

    So true!
    It’s a great time for expanding your circle by taking a short online course. Many of them are run globally and are free. I can recommend FutureLearn, and other MOOCs.

  4. TheQuester
    TheQuester on April 9, 2020 at 2:59 am

    Love this story! Great characters and as refreshing as tea ๐Ÿ™‚

  5. TheQuester
    TheQuester on April 9, 2020 at 3:04 am

    Aubrey stood at the very top of the obsidian tower. Below him stretched the vastness of the Desolate Wastes in every direction. Not even tumbleweed, zombies or even misshapen monstrosities dared venture out there any more.
    Aubrey frowned deeply. It just won’t do. Something needed to be done, and done at once!

  6. editor 1
    editor 1 on April 9, 2020 at 11:28 am

    Here’s a link for 10 tips on keeping up creativity during the pandemic: https://blog.patreon.com/10-tips-for-creativity-during-global-pandemic

  7. Morgan Welch
    Morgan Welch on April 9, 2020 at 5:53 pm

    The gold dragon, he soars on a line,
    A thread silver and ever so fine,
    He isn’t a kite,
    No threat to a knight,
    At the throat of my lady he shines.

    • kitsune
      kitsune on April 9, 2020 at 11:46 pm

      I’d give this one a vote:)

    • TheQuester
      TheQuester on April 10, 2020 at 5:44 am

      Beautiful!

    • Lady Casey
      Lady Casey on April 16, 2020 at 12:36 pm

      Nice! Love how this subverts expectations!

    • Absinthe
      Absinthe on April 16, 2020 at 12:39 pm

      This one has a beautiful, almost classical Renaissance feel to it — not easy to do for a limerick!

      • Morgan Welch
        Morgan Welch on April 17, 2020 at 9:54 am

        Thank you all for the kind words ๐Ÿ™‚

  8. kitsune
    kitsune on April 9, 2020 at 11:44 pm

    The mead was near gone from my flagon
    When I revealed my true love was a dragon
    It could have gone ill
    But from up on the hill
    He came and carried me off tail a’waggin’

  9. kitsune
    kitsune on April 9, 2020 at 11:45 pm

    Hi, sorry, I meant the last line to be a little different:

    The mead was near gone from my flagon
    When I revealed my true love was a dragon
    It could have gone ill
    But from up on the hill
    He swooped down and carried me off tail aโ€™wagginโ€™

    • TheQuester
      TheQuester on April 10, 2020 at 5:46 am

      LOL! Lovely. Very Mercedes Lackey, I’m thinking.

    • Lady Casey
      Lady Casey on April 16, 2020 at 12:37 pm

      Charming!

      • kitsune
        kitsune on April 16, 2020 at 5:27 pm

        Thanks! I’m glad you liked it ๐Ÿ™‚

  10. CHris Moon
    CHris Moon on April 11, 2020 at 3:58 am

    Do not take a wrong turn in this cave,
    Even if thou art clever and brave,
    For my sharp teeth and claws
    And my flame-spewing jaws
    Will will send you to a smouldering grave

    • TheQuester
      TheQuester on April 11, 2020 at 5:11 am

      Definitely not a cave to wander into…

    • Absinthe
      Absinthe on April 16, 2020 at 12:37 pm

      Woo. I like this. Good pacing and imagery. ๐Ÿ™‚

    • Lady Casey
      Lady Casey on April 16, 2020 at 12:37 pm

      Zoinks! Powerful imagery!

  11. editor 1
    editor 1 on April 13, 2020 at 11:55 am

    Here’s a link to Andrea Bocelli singing in the cathedral of Milan on Easter Sunday. He dedicated this to everyone, the whole world, because in the midst of the pandemic he wanted to offer hope and comfort.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huTUOek4LgU&feature=youtu.be&src=Linkfire&lId=f864ffed-b5e8-46de-a5ba-dc3521efb601&cId=d3d58fd7-4c47-11e6-9fd0-066c3e7a8751

  12. Lady Casey
    Lady Casey on April 13, 2020 at 3:18 pm

    In the hills lived a pair of poor weavers.
    When their well started boiling with steamers,
    They looked low and looked high,
    Found a dragon nearby,
    Changed their sign from โ€œFine Woolโ€ to โ€œDry Cleaners.โ€

    • TheQuester
      TheQuester on April 16, 2020 at 4:04 am

      Awesome! Love this. Definitely receives my vote ๐Ÿ™‚

      • Lady Casey
        Lady Casey on April 16, 2020 at 12:38 pm

        Thanks!

  13. Rebecca R Pierce
    Rebecca R Pierce on April 15, 2020 at 8:23 am

    โ€œDragon Named Houndโ€

    There once was a dragon named Hound
    Who plowed with whatever he โ€œfoundโ€.
    When he stole from the bard,
    The man was quite scarred.
    โ€œStop dragginโ€™ my harp around!โ€

    • TheQuester
      TheQuester on April 16, 2020 at 4:07 am

      LOL! Stop dragging my…stop dragging my harp around!
      Brilliant!
      One vote from me!

      • Lady Casey
        Lady Casey on April 16, 2020 at 12:34 pm

        Love it!

    • Lady Casey
      Lady Casey on April 16, 2020 at 12:39 pm

      Love it, Rebecca! Thanks for popping over!

  14. TheQuester
    TheQuester on April 27, 2020 at 1:59 am

    Thank you to all who entered and participated. The excellent entries delighted Fran, our CRES editor, so much so that an additional prize of a free subscription to CRES is being awarded.
    Such great entries caused some debate among the judges, with them split over those entries that subverted expectations and the traditional limerick.
    In the end, TWO winners were chosen: MORGAN WELCH and REBECCA R PIERCE. Congratulations you two:-D Please email me at TheQuester2020 at gmail dot com for your badges and prize.
    Looking forward to our next Open Mic Challenge…with some added surprises for those whoโ€™ll participate! Stay tuned and stay safe!

    • Morgan Welch
      Morgan Welch on April 27, 2020 at 6:27 pm

      Thanks so much and congrats to Rebecca too!

  15. Absinthe
    Absinthe on May 9, 2020 at 10:28 pm

    Oh ship of Earth
    Oh ship of Sky
    Do not, I beg you, pass me by.
    Take me with you when you go
    Into the bright day’s dawning glow

    • Lady Casey
      Lady Casey on May 10, 2020 at 11:14 pm

      Enjoyed this.

    • TheQuester
      TheQuester on May 11, 2020 at 10:49 am

      Beautiful!

  16. HANNAH hulbert
    HANNAH hulbert on May 14, 2020 at 1:02 pm

    _The FatherShip_

    They watch through the portholes. He looms from the dark.
    The lights on his hull advertise R&R.
    He docks and the MotherShip opens her doors,
    Allowing her raucous crew to disembark.
    She waits in the silence while they drink at the bar
    And chill in the holosuites. Thunderous applause
    Follows the androids’ contortionist feats.
    They squander their wages then stagger back home
    To the still-waiting MotherShip, thanking their hosts,
    Complaining it’s over, but enjoying clean sheets
    And nutritious meals. Meanwhile, beyond the dome
    Of the observation deck, the other ship coasts
    Into the black without hailing ‘Goodbye’.
    The trinkets are lost and the memories fade
    But the MotherShip provides and holds their course true.
    The crew never thanks her. Standardized days tick by
    And she toils without reprieve or accolade
    Until those bright lights return, long overdue.

    • TheQuester
      TheQuester on May 15, 2020 at 1:32 am

      Love the world building and strong message.

  17. Glenn Lyvers
    Glenn Lyvers on May 17, 2020 at 9:36 pm

    Waiting for Mother

    I die a little every 182 minutes,
    waiting, watching her pass by
    with so much life inside โ€“
    bone-white against a teal sky,

    mothership in orbit. She,

    no bigger than a grain of rice
    from my buglike perspective –
    standing on an ancient glacier,
    a wind-swept ice-blue river
    of brittle frozen crystals,
    looking up โ€“ still waiting.
    Last night, I felt the darkness stir,
    timeworn and pregnant with fear;
    I am here, restless in the stillness,
    look down, mother โ€“ look down.

    • TheQuester
      TheQuester on May 19, 2020 at 1:36 am

      I like the imagery of the glacier. Great sense of drama and story. I’d like to know more about the lonely soul.

    • Lady Casey
      Lady Casey on May 19, 2020 at 11:02 am

      Wow, beautiful piece!

    • Absinthe
      Absinthe on May 19, 2020 at 5:24 pm

      Wow, this one is good.

  18. Bethany blunt
    Bethany blunt on May 17, 2020 at 10:31 pm

    The Spider (A Haiku)

    Hark! It watches me
    From the wall of my shower;
    I scream for mother.

    • TheQuester
      TheQuester on May 19, 2020 at 1:43 am

      LOL! Fun. But I don’t see how it fits the theme of Mothership.

      • Fran
        Fran on May 19, 2020 at 5:23 pm

        I guess the mother is like a whole supportive ship that she can rely on in a spider crisis.
        My daughter also has me ‘take care’ of spider problems, although when she lived in southern Japan she had to deal with huge monster spiders usually by herself.

        • TheQuester
          TheQuester on May 20, 2020 at 1:05 am

          Ah, I see it now, like an extension or inversion of the Earth as mother concept.

          Wow! Didn’t know there were monster spiders in Japan. They’re everywhere! Guessing spiders are going to be the first hitchhikers into space on our crafts…hopefully not the monster ones!

  19. Marci Mcnulty
    Marci Mcnulty on May 21, 2020 at 8:32 am

    Woah! I’m really enjoying the template/theme of this site. It’s simple, yet effective. A lot of times it’s challenging to get that “perfect balance” between usability and visual appeal. I must say you’ve done a excellent job with this. Additionally, the blog loads very quick for me on Opera. Outstanding Blog!

    • kitsune
      kitsune on May 24, 2020 at 10:36 am

      Thanks so much Marci!! We’re so happy you enjoyed your visit to our site. Please visit again! ๐Ÿ™‚

  20. TheQuester
    TheQuester on June 14, 2020 at 6:34 am

    Awesome! Congrats, Chovwe!

    • Chovwe
      Chovwe on August 8, 2020 at 2:46 am

      ๐Ÿ™‚๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ’ช๐Ÿฝ

  21. Absinthe
    Absinthe on June 23, 2020 at 1:58 pm

    There once was a challenge about Time
    It asked us to make up a Rhyme
    But though I worked hard over it
    I just had to quit
    ‘Cause the result was far from sublime

    • TheQuester
      TheQuester on June 26, 2020 at 6:02 am

      Nice one, Absinthe ๐Ÿ™‚ Truth beats sublime, any time!

  22. TheQuester
    TheQuester on June 28, 2020 at 8:17 am

    Hi Everyone

    Just wanted to let you know that I’ve started a new feature on my blog to help creatives overcome blocks and other agonizing aspects creating or getting your work out there. It’s called Dear Agonist Aunt and works on the Agony Aunt column you used to get in newspapers way back when.
    Here’s the link to the 3rd set of letters: https://leennascreativebox.com/2020/06/24/dear-agonist-aunt-sulking-character-photo-op-or-not/
    You’re welcome to send in a letter yourself if you find these posts helpful:-D

  23. Lynell Ballard
    Lynell Ballard on September 14, 2020 at 1:30 pm

    hi, your post is perfect.Following your articles.

  24. Davide Mana
    Davide Mana on October 16, 2020 at 3:03 pm

    Legacy

    I thought I should get a T-shirt: “My grandmother (that I never met) died, and all I got is this lousy black cat.”
    Yeah, I know, too long for a T-shirt.
    โ€œYou will take care of Lucifer,โ€ Mother said when she came back from the funeral.
    Grandmother Reynard (thatโ€™s my motherโ€™s maiden name) was always a stranger to me. Mother wonโ€™t talk about the fallout. Something about father. Gran Reynard was never fond of him. Prescient, in retrospect: he walked out when I was seven.
    Anyway, Mother placed the cat cage in my room, and retreated to hers.
    I looked at the creature. Lucifer was admittedly a cool name, but I never was a cat person.
    โ€œYou will be,โ€ the cat said.
    I stared at it. A strangled cry escaped my lips.
    โ€œNo hysterics, pleaseโ€ he said. โ€œCan you let me out?โ€
    โ€œWhatโ€”what are you?โ€
    โ€œWitch’s familiar. Let me out, it wonโ€™t take long.โ€
    โ€œWhat?โ€
    โ€œYour legacy. Will you open the cage?โ€
    I undid the clasp, opened the door, and fell back as Lucifer came out.
    โ€œIโ€™m to give you whatโ€™s yours,โ€ he said. โ€œYour Grandmother wanted to be sure youโ€™d have it.โ€
    I felt dizzy. โ€œMy motherโ€”โ€
    โ€œSheโ€™s got hers from her grandmother. Thatโ€™s the way. Now look in my eyes.โ€
    I didnโ€™t want to, but I did it. They were very green.
    It was like being hit by lightning. As power surged inside me, everything became clear.
    It really did not take long.
    So I wonโ€™t need that T-shirt anyway, see? Iโ€™m more into the Goth thing, right now. Black lipstick and striped stockings and all that. And before you ask, Mother approves.
    We often go out together, to meet the dark things in the wood.
    She borrows my lipstick, sometimes.

    • TheQuester
      TheQuester on October 17, 2020 at 7:59 am

      I love the “No hysterics, please.” Sounds like a great familiar!

    • Lady Casey
      Lady Casey on October 29, 2020 at 11:21 pm

      Sweet story!

    • kitsune
      kitsune on October 30, 2020 at 3:48 pm

      They usually say’ a family that plays together stays together,’
      but in this case it’s
      ‘A family that does spells together does well together.;
      Fly off and have a good time you guys!

  25. Brenda Noiseux
    Brenda Noiseux on October 16, 2020 at 4:40 pm

    Familiar Gamesย 

    She’s spun a web around four lovers now.
    I try to warn them.
    We must cuddle all night. Or else!
    They think it’s a weird quirk
    until they’re entombed in her web.
    Eight eyes wait until morning
    to watch my reaction.ย 
    Are they okay?ย 
    Two have mostly recovered.
    The last two forgot. That’s progress.ย 
    Sigh.
    Maybe I should get a cat.

    • TheQuester
      TheQuester on October 17, 2020 at 8:00 am

      Intriguing and strong first line ๐Ÿ™‚

  26. Katrinka Mannelly
    Katrinka Mannelly on October 20, 2020 at 1:40 pm

    Pussyfooting Around

    Sarah opened her door to find a large white and orange cat looking proud and puffed over a disemboweled bird, its entrails spread head to tail and wing tip to wing tip.

    โ€œEww! Why do you keep bringing me dead things? Youโ€™re not even my cat.โ€

    The catโ€™s pupils constricted before he darted in.

    โ€œHey.โ€

    The cat whipped around. โ€œWhat?โ€

    โ€œYou talk? Am I losing it?โ€

    โ€œNo, but I might if you donโ€™t figure your shit out. You understand me because Iโ€™m your familiar. Iโ€™ve been dropping major hints.โ€

    Sarah shook her head. โ€œButโ€ฆโ€

    โ€œBut what? I worked hard on sacrificial rituals for you. I admit the first one, the mouse, was kind of phoning it inโ€”nothing special, but I upped my game to a newt. Do you know how hard it is to find a newt? And how many spells, the eyes alone are good for?โ€ His spine undulated.

    โ€œI capture a wild newt. Kill it and lay it out in the traditional manner. Thereโ€™s no scratch of appreciation, no bowl of cream. No, you tell me to get lost.โ€

    He stepped toward her. โ€œWhat do I do? I try againโ€”with a baby songbird to help you find your voice, take flight toward your calling, soar beyond whatever is holding you back. Do you have any idea how protective hatchling parents are? Or how bad I felt about it? At least until momma and daddy bird started scratching and pecking the crap out of me. I have scars and bald patches that may never grow back.โ€

    He sat, wound his tail around his legs and looked into Sarahโ€™s eyes.

    โ€œBottom line, weโ€™re done pussyfooting around. Youโ€™re a witch and Iโ€™m your familiar, so go get me some God damn tuna fish and letโ€™s get on with it.โ€

    • TheQuester
      TheQuester on October 25, 2020 at 2:41 am

      Interesting, though I’m not sure I’d want to live with such an overbearing familiar!

  27. Chisto Healy
    Chisto Healy on October 22, 2020 at 3:48 am

    “Where do I know you from?” Jamie asked, eyeing the strange bird perched atop the fence. It wasn’t unusual to see a bird on a fence in this town, but it was weird to see one like this. It looked exotic, like something out of a rain forest, not suburbia. Yet somehow, it didn’t seem out of the ordinary to Jamie when it landed, staring at him knowingly. He felt like he knew the bird somehow. Jamie approached with caution,not wanting to scare it. “You look familiar.”

    “Precisely,” a female voice said from behind him.

    “I’m sorry?” Jamie said, turning around.

    “Right again,” the woman told him, brushing thick red hair from her face. It was then that Jamie recognized her and realized where he knew the bird from. He had met her at the Halloween party last night. She was peculiar and talking to the bird like it was a person. Jamie decided she was nuts and steered clear but not before snagging the amulet she dropped. He figured she was drunk or high and she would never know, but now he was questioning his judgment.

    “I would just give it back and apologize,” the bird said. Jamie’s eyes darted to the creature, then back to the woman.

    “He can make his own decisions, Clarence,” the woman said with a wink. She extended her hand, palm up.

    Jamie frowned. “Pawn shop. Sorry.”

    Clarence left the fence and pulled the amulet from his pocket with its beak. The woman shook her head and snapped her fingers. Where Jamie had stood was now a simple field mouse.

    “No one likes liars,” she said.

    • TheQuester
      TheQuester on October 25, 2020 at 2:43 am

      LOL! No one likes liars! Unusual familiar and I like the interaction between them and their witch ๐Ÿ™‚

    • kitsune
      kitsune on October 30, 2020 at 3:45 pm

      Woo. If only he had told the truth. Maybe she’ll turn Jamie human again once hes learned his lesson. I like the name Clarence for an exotic bird familiar.

  28. Lady Casey
    Lady Casey on October 23, 2020 at 2:02 pm

    โ€œFamiliarโ€™s Night Offโ€

    In the deep velvet dark
    Of midnight on All Hallows Eve,
    The black cat is invisible
    Except for the glint of her eyes
    When they catch a sliver of moonlight.

    It suits her to walk in silence,
    Shedding her secret glamors
    On this night when the veil is thin
    and magic most potent is rife in the air.

    Ah, such scents!
    Deep as earth, these pungent powers,
    Lying like ozone on the fallen leaves.
    They renew her spirit, replenish the wellspring
    of her otherworldly essence.

    At dawn she will play human again
    Walking in partnership with the one she chose to answer.
    But tonight, as moonlight waxes and wanes,
    She will be
    Her old familiar self.

    • TheQuester
      TheQuester on October 25, 2020 at 2:45 am

      Beautiful! I think we all need to replenish ourselves like this being. Love: ‘It suits her to walk in silence.’

      • Lady Casey
        Lady Casey on October 27, 2020 at 10:45 am

        Thank you kindly!

    • kitsune
      kitsune on October 30, 2020 at 3:51 pm

      “Shedding her secret glamors”!! Good line. I can just imagine it!

  29. Akua Lezli Hope
    Akua Lezli Hope on October 27, 2020 at 12:23 am

    My Beloved Familiar

    The best I know of magic is in this bond โ€”
    his indifferent affection protects
    and shields me from harm
    so much about him of which I am fond

    His incredible scent of tea and spiced fur
    his resonant and healing motorcycle purr
    heals more than his injuries,
    it cleanses surrounding space
    Heโ€™s taught me how low decibel sound
    protects with persistent, subtle grace

    He sees the unseen and teaches me how to look
    for interstitial realms spilling out of a nook
    for dimensional wrinkles beyond my eyes
    that unfurl with a breath or a directed sigh

    More than facilitator heโ€™s protector too
    teaching by example what to do
    to shift reality and reimagine time
    to find treasures transcendent and sublime.

    Akua Lezli Hope

    • TheQuester
      TheQuester on October 29, 2020 at 12:10 am

      Oh wow! I love the emotion and imagery in this. ‘Cleansing space with his purr…’ That would explain a lot!

    • Lady Casey
      Lady Casey on October 29, 2020 at 11:22 pm

      Nice!

    • kitsune
      kitsune on October 30, 2020 at 3:54 pm

      This is beautiful. And what a great familiar!

  30. kitsune
    kitsune on October 30, 2020 at 4:00 pm

    The Return

    In the still of the night,
    I open the door.
    Autumn leaves blow across the full moon.
    Softly, on feet of silk,
    Silver-taloned,
    Orange-eyed,
    Velvet Midnight black as space
    Pads in through my door.
    Welcome home.

    • TheQuester
      TheQuester on November 3, 2020 at 10:06 am

      Nice ๐Ÿ™‚ I wonder what adventures were had in that full moon…

  31. TheQuester
    TheQuester on January 30, 2021 at 8:33 am

    And here I am in the comments with a letter to Cupid ๐Ÿ˜€

    Dearest Cupid, fuser of hearts,
    who shoots future beloveds with Loveโ€™s darts.
    May your sight be as clear as your aim,
    and your judgement bright as loveโ€™s flame.
    Match me with a kind one,
    an easy to find one.
    Match me with a beautiful soul,
    an understanding and wise old soul.
    Shoot us soon and make love bloom
    even if our first date is to be on Zoom.

    • Absinthe
      Absinthe on January 30, 2021 at 9:55 pm

      Yes! I think this is not only a fun poem, but on target, hits the bullseye one might say, for what are the good things to ask Cupid for.

      • TheQuester
        TheQuester on January 31, 2021 at 4:39 am

        LOL! Aww thanks, Absinthe! And for the pun, too ๐Ÿ˜€ Yes, I think it’s good to be careful what we ask of Cupid.

    • Lakshmi Aparna Boyapati
      Lakshmi Aparna Boyapati on January 31, 2021 at 10:26 am

      Very Apt for the current situation…I am using your poem for me when I talk to cupid. Thankyou

      • TheQuester
        TheQuester on February 2, 2021 at 11:43 am

        It’s a pleasure, Lakshmi. Thanks so much ๐Ÿ™‚

    • Pamela
      Pamela on February 1, 2021 at 3:24 am

      Love this, sounds appropriate for a Valentine’s toast!

      • TheQuester
        TheQuester on February 2, 2021 at 11:44 am

        LOL! Thanks, Pamela ๐Ÿ™‚

  32. Rhys Hughes
    Rhys Hughes on February 5, 2021 at 12:48 pm

    There was a young lady from Delhi
    who fell in love with my belly.
    An arrow of Cupid
    had made her quite stupid
    and she turned herself into lime jelly.

    • Maitreyi
      Maitreyi on February 5, 2021 at 12:56 pm

      I just decided to make myself at home in the belly as I was making my way to your heart.

      • Rhys hughes
        Rhys hughes on February 5, 2021 at 6:32 pm

        Make yourself at home
        among the domestic comforts
        of my digestion please.
        And when I have worked out
        how to swallow my head
        I will join you down there
        in my belly’s bed.

    • TheQuester
      TheQuester on February 8, 2021 at 1:25 am

      LOL! Thanks for the limerick, Rhys Hughes. It’s great to have one. Though I doubt it was Cupid’s intention to turn people in the curse of every trifle, but one never knows.

  33. Maithreyi
    Maithreyi on February 5, 2021 at 10:00 pm

    I know you hate talk but when you hold me close
    It’s like a thousand words of the sweetest prose
    Well, more like five and two thirds
    So, you’re a man of few words
    And I don’t like numbers I suppose!

    • TheQuester
      TheQuester on February 8, 2021 at 1:30 am

      Nice! I like your take on actions speaking a thousand words, Maithreyi. ๐Ÿ˜€

  34. Barb
    Barb on February 6, 2021 at 3:37 am

    Cupid noticed two teens outside of a high school. The boy was talking to his friends, the girl had her back on him, ignoring him and talking to her best friend.
    Smiling impishly, Cupid went for his quiver. Alas, he had run out of arrows! He should go back to Mount Olympus to get more!
    Nah, he’ll make do with what he had. He looked around, unsure. There were so many things one could throw around him!
    Then the boy grabbed a pebble and threw it at the girl with anger, but his aim was all wrong and he missed her.
    Cupid had an idea, and quickly made a slingshot, then looked for the right pebbles. There were none available, so he carved some. Soon he had a neat little stash of heart-shaped pebbles, ready to be used instead of arrows.
    Cupid set up his ambush, covered by a double invisibility veil.
    Here was the boy! Aiming truly, Cupid shot. The boy scolded his friends who protested it wasn’t them.
    Here was the girl! Cupid aimed again. She yelped, cursed the boy, then a pebble and threw it at the boy, hitting him because she had better aim.
    He turned around, furious, and they finally started talking, no, screaming at each other.
    It wasn’t working? Cupid was both surprised and disappointed.
    Suddenly the two shut up and just stared at each other, no longer angry.
    Much better. Cupid smiled. He put the heart-shaped pebbles in a small pouch and went back to Mount Olympus, happy with himself.
    Except the pebbles didn’t actually work.
    Cupid sighed. He used his arrows and then he got rid of his heart-shaped pebbles, since they were useless.
    So remember, if you find a heart-shaped pebble, it’s one of Cupid’s and it could have hit you!

    • TheQuester
      TheQuester on February 8, 2021 at 1:34 am

      Thanks for the flash fiction, Barb. What a great observation of teenagers and Cupid’s experimentation. Now, I don’t know whether I’d feel sad finding a heart-shaped stone or not!

  35. Al Simmons
    Al Simmons on February 8, 2021 at 4:46 pm

    Post Valentine

    I don’t have it like I used to,
    or maybe it’s the reefer slowing
    me down.

    For me there will always be
    an underground, or used to be,
    before I survived.

    What kept you sane all these years?
    Come and visit and we’ll talk,
    I should have said.

    • TheQuester
      TheQuester on February 12, 2021 at 2:40 am

      I do hope you get that talk, Al Simmons. Thanks for your entry!

  36. Tori
    Tori on February 12, 2021 at 4:55 pm

    Cupidโ€™s arrow left his bow
    More than 18 years ago,
    How it happened, I cannot say;
    Perhaps his arrow went astray?
    For though we were miles apart,
    We were connected, heart to heart.

    So weโ€™ve remained, through good times and bad,
    Side by side, in happy times and sad,
    Because the God of loveโ€™s grace
    Ignores the laws of time and space
    And the gift Cupid is giving
    Cares not how far apart your living.

    • Barb
      Barb on February 13, 2021 at 2:20 am

      I love this! ๐Ÿ™‚

    • TheQuester
      TheQuester on February 14, 2021 at 12:56 pm

      I’m of the same mind as Barb on this, Tori ๐Ÿ˜€ Thanks!

    • TheQuester
      TheQuester on February 26, 2021 at 2:40 am

      Congratulations, Tori! You’re our Eros Challenge winner! Please send me an email at:
      leennamythslegendsfairytales@cosmicrootsandeldritchshores.com
      so I can send you badge and other prizes.

      • Tori
        Tori on March 9, 2021 at 2:42 pm

        YAY! Sorry I was slow to see this, but thanks so much! Just eMailed you… The sender will probably be listed as “Victoria Zigler”

        • TheQuester
          TheQuester on March 10, 2021 at 10:16 am

          Got it! Will be sending you your goodies shortly ๐Ÿ˜€ Congrats again. Looking forward to your entries for our future challenges ๐Ÿ™‚

  37. TheQuester
    TheQuester on March 10, 2021 at 12:51 pm

    Not quite a limerick, but it will do ๐Ÿ˜€

    When Johnny planted his first apple seed,
    he didnโ€™t know how things would be.
    He wandered far and wide,
    often without a guide,
    until he realized what the land might need.

    • editor 1
      editor 1 on March 25, 2021 at 8:04 pm

      Nice! It shows how big things can end up happening from just one first seed!

    • kitsune
      kitsune on March 25, 2021 at 8:06 pm

      If we all went around planting seeds the world would be a better place:)!

  38. kitsune
    kitsune on March 25, 2021 at 8:34 pm

    Johnny gave his friend Davy Crockett
    Apple recipes in a locket.
    He said, “Davy, I don’t lie,
    Apple cider and pie
    Are gifts from the sky!”
    Because though he set apple trees bloomin’.
    Johnny was not human.
    He’d arrived on a rocket
    With alien seeds in his pocket.

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. The Magic Of Words – InBetweener - […] CRES is running an Open Mic Challenge over on the new site. Iโ€™d nabbed the โ€˜micโ€™ first to challenge…
  2. Mothership: A Poetry In Motion? | Open Mic at Cosmic Roots & Eldritch Shores - […] pleased with our first Open Mic Challenge for dragon-themed limericks. You can read the entries here. This month’s challenge…
  3. All The News: October to November 2020 – InBetweener - […] the Queen, but hanging out with pussy-cats and familiars, plus the odd alien and poet over at the Open…
  4. Tired Old Cupid – InBetweener - […] you’d like to enter the OpenMic 5 For 5 Eros Challenge, step this way…I’ve posted another little poem, Dear…
  5. Wednesday Weekly Roundup | Barbara G.Tarn - writer - […] posted after me, won the contest! So glad I sent her their way! Congrats, Tori! And you guys can…

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