The Passing Remains

The Passing Remains

Posted by Erin Mansfield

Is anything safe from the fade,
The passing of an eternity
Gone as walls crumble
As the last candle dies
Will there be anything left
Anything to go home too
Anyone to go home

Was there ever anything?
Perhaps the passing is all there is
We walk, laugh, work and dream
Yet when the final breath

Is bestowed upon this earth
Or in whatever world remains
What meaning is there 
That will not also expire
Whatever haunts this troubled place
Even dreams quiet when nothing remains

Yet when everything is lost
And darkness invades
There is no more or less
Than the greatest dreams
Or the deepest pains
Than ever there was or will ever be again

Drowning in Dark and Gray

Drowning in Dark and Gray

Posted by Erin Mansfield

There is a shadow deep within my heart
It stalked me even when I was very young

I stared into those hollow depths
I saw a stranger dressed as I
Although perhaps that was a lie
Perhaps it was and always will be
Just my reflection terrifying me

Within this place of depths unknown
There lies only night in waters too cold
Every death and every tear
Every heartache and every fear

And yet, there is something more frightening still
A place I stumbled upon behind the shade

Where there is no sun nor moon

Only concrete ruins and dreams unmade

The people stand there dark and gray
Reaching out to any who care to pass
My heart aches, yet my body shivers
I can not reach even a single life

Nothing shows within their eyes

As I struggle to pull them out

A threat pulses into my heart
A shrill scream runs through my brain

I fall into the cold embrace
Of waters none should ever face
The breath now gone
The shock takes over
I simply surrender

I no longer know that I should be in fear

Yet then the sharpness prickles my lungs
My body thrashes through the waters
Yet this lends not to the surface I so desire
Finally my brain begins to overcome instinct

With the last of my strength
Every muscle twitching with strain
I take two strokes upward
Toward some shimmer of light
Then I let my arms fall to my sides
My head raised up, I close my eyes

It feels forever and eternity
Darkness fills my world again
My head swirls as my body goes limp
Nothing but silence now remains
For a moment, for all time
In the stillness, it is all the same

Yet once again I find myself aware
My head jerks back and upward           
A rush of air stings my lungs
Feeling, life, strength return

So many layers in such ancient places

Where time warps and fades

Where lives are lost, found, remade

I can never quite explain

How to traverse such depths

I only know the wonder

Of how all can be lost

And yet is never truly lost

There is a gift that forever remains

A Rich Tapestry

A Rich Tapestry

Posted by Erin Mansfield

Stories filled with splendid wonder
Trick our spirits into thrills
Never earned, cheap and frail
Anything more than a pleasant breeze
Shreds wild fantasies into tattered fragments

As life laughs at the ruins left behind
Reality replaces dreams and songs
For a moment it seems that all is lost
As defeated hopes hang by one last thread
And truth pales before imagined glories

Yet as the winds blow, strands of color dance
Then as inspiration transforms interpretation
Determined hands twist and weave as yarn
Knotting in the pieces that fell
And row by row, a fabric steadily grows

Unlike the instant indulgence of delusion
Lonely time inches forward in it's work
Never reaching the perfection of the original design
Always crossing into the realm of the impossible
That such a rich tapestry could be crafted
From battered hearts and forgotten lives

A Heart Sustained, The Invisible Embrace

A Heart Sustained, The Invisible Embrace

Posted by Erin Mansfield

When tears fall as hands tremble
A heavy head collapses into awaiting arms
The only place where comfort and strength are still found
While soft whispers mix within the folds of agony
Gently caressing a heart of ruins, sustaining every beat

The pain delays in it's demise
The body shivers and suddenly sobs swell
As sorrow strives to relentlessly overwhelm
Yet tender embrace does gently sway
And lovingly guards the pieces that remain
Before the final lurch of tormented horrors
Unleash a scream of astonishing grief

Then the tears do turn to quiet whimpers
Whatever pain, now dulled and drained
Growing aware that you rock in place
With arms grasping tightly at the knees
It is only you within this space
Yet someone held you together that night
Disappearing only when your heart found it's light

A Writing Game

A Writing Game

Posted by Erin Mansfield

While looking for writing prompts, I found a post about an interactive story and I decided to join the fun.  The title of the story and it's first chapter were created by Cheryl (Thoughts from the Tall Girl).  There is a catch.  The website that hosts all the fun, called An Ancient Tome, gives prompts.  In this case, there has to be a "white shield".  I wrote a "chapter" (really about 200 words) and then let it sit on my computer screen while I decided if I should post it.  You wouldn't believe the thoughts that ran through my head!

Gasp! "What if I ruin the whole story!"

Ok, I finally decided to post it.  After all, the idea is to have others add to the story.  Of course, I did discover I had a typo, actually a part I thought I'd erased.  It makes me smile.

The story is called "The Frozen Crown".  Please add your own part to the story!  Below is a copy of my chapter, complete with my error:

She pressed forward, sweat running down her face.  The continuing song settled into an ancient chant, soft and alluring, yet it sent shivers up her spine.  Sasha tried fervently to run, but her senses were overpowered by a droning in her ears.  Her side ached, and she was losing feeling in her limbs.  Panting, she caught hold of an elm tree, and then curled up at the base.  The world spinning, she closed her eyes.

It was a calm, beautiful morning when Sasha finally came to.  She took a deep breath, as she tried to piece together what happened.  She hadn't been dreaming.  For one thing, she her stomach still hurt and she had no idea where she was.  More disturbingly, she discovered a strange mark around her belly button.  It was like an old tattoo, with the ink slightly faded.  The image was a silver ring, within a white shield.  She tried to rub the image away, but it burned under her touch.

“It won’t do you any good, I’m afraid”

Sasha jumped to her feet.

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone I startled ya” grinned the thin, tall man as he stepped closer.

All In A Row

All In A Row

Posted by Erin Mansfield

Thought I'd make some flowers with the InspirARTion Windows 8 app.  Enjoy.

The Devastation Beneath

The Devastation Beneath

Posted by Erin Mansfield

Life is broken
It's shattered pieces trampled
Where Beauty and promise
Hide the devastation beneath
All the colors sucked dry
By a whirlpool of pain and fear
Leaving the world bland and gray
Where even the best intentions
Spawn a fog so foul
It is an astounding wonder
That we haven't choked to death

Yes, I know dawn will rise again
And I will so willingly forget
The termoil festering beneath
For now though I wait sitting
Wondering how much damage
Can my heart really take