The Octoberman. All I need is a bottle of Talisker, a keyboard and you. Facebook: Nikarkham www.nikarkham.co.uk
#nightdwellers Me and a tumbler of fine whiskey Both of us cut crystal Both reflective Both distilling in ochre dusk Oaky and smoky and aching Aged and accidentally smooth Knees up in my low-backed...
#nightdwellers Families are sleeping But we're waking to the pain There must be some pity for the walkers in the rain. Grimy nightroads are our halls Telltale sun's our bane.
In this aquarium I noticed Two fish. Both of the same species Alike in size, colour, shape.
We got to thinking About why you're with me Just another man in the men's room Pissing seconds at the stall.
I tell this slender lie Like a glue between saner days It flicks from my lips like snaketongue Anaesthetic, ripe and rude. Don't judge me, f***er. Take away the lie And you spill my crazy.
(Inspired by the Kate Bush track '50 Words for Snow', from the album of the same name.) Wilful winter winds will blow Here's 50 phrases for the snow.
We are the Unseen. We walk out of your stores With groceries and pillowcases And whatever-the-hell-else we want. We somehow slipped, bemused, Between the cracks of dusk and day...
The last flower shed salty petals Unsupported, it slumped against glass They looked on: at a loss and without hope The final of Nature's blazes Her passion unsummered in a bell-jar Beauty decomposed...
#nightdwellers #beginningline The crimson trail disappeared into the night... Tangy spatters from her sweet veins, I feared as I fully regained consciousness.
Here it is straight. My girls are in a girl band called 'Union' and they've reached the area finals of Open Mic UK. If they get through the next round, they're off to sing at the O2 Arena in London.
@sjw @MrsS @Jamtots @ckahn @MissLittleDHP @irrational_kimmi @leelee101 @crowncottage @deviltortoise @datalore24 @eddie12309... This is for you. One lit window in a dark sea of the living dead.
It chewed through my lower gut, fingers gripping my heart - cold and paralysing. Fear. Fear devoured me whole. Outside the gate, the animated corpse, so terribly mangled, licked my blood from its...
It hobbled across the kitchen, the foul stink of rot and decay seeping from it. Teeth bared, it hissed and moaned, a prowling hunger in its gut. 'Brains,' it growled.
The final limb was thick, twisted and green, but the chainsaw tore through it hungrily. I let go of the top safety leaver with my index and middle fingers and let the machine hang by my side.
Out by the lighthouse In the heat and spray I saw the hurricane come this way I knew I should run But my legs became rock And my pulse was quickened An urgent clock On the edge of Montok (And maybe...
You are Echolalia A girl cloned from deprivation And our new cynical shrugs. Tolerance of carelessness Makes a model of offensiveness And that's you, Echolalia.
At the thinning of the year Now that daylight seems embarrassed And skulks between wet street lights, Euphoria, hibernating, Is dimmed to warmth and comfort, And the clocks must pay for The sweaty,...
I don't know you Or you, me. But in passing You left me irradiated; Glowing from the outside in Suddenly and beautifully Breaking down. In a glass lift Outside floor thirty-four You smiled.
We built ourselves an airship So vast in scope and scale The heights of flight, the width of dreams, The grace of humpback whale. Balloons and engines raised it up Propellers drove us on...
@nightdweller @October Vagrant spirit at the wick Sometimes dancing lunatic Other moments - coiled, hypnotic Finger beckons - hot, erotic.
#emotion Thanks to those who entered... Third place goes to the 'stiff' competition in @Burrfoot 's 'Sock Shock.' Hee hee. I was a teenage boy once too. Not admitting to anything.
First, apologies for delay... Had an extended working day. Secondly, thanks to @MelchiorJ13 for the joint first with the excellent @secret @secret has chosen 'shock' as the next emotion...
Give me your coppers And I will show you My book of flaws.
#emotion #anxiety Have I left the window open. What if I left the window open. The cat might get in. A burglar might get in. A burglar might get in and stand on the cat.
This leather sky is a passport for frosts Inked by wheeling crows. Summer, absent-minded as it goes Scatters gold behind to cover costs.
Um.. Can anyone help. My feed is stuck at a piece posted twelve hours ago. Restarted app, phone etc. Happened to anyone else?.
#emotion #loss They took you from my arms Carved out a you-shaped hole In this asphyxiated soul ...
#emotion #loss They took you from my arms (Carved out a you-shaped hole In a soul so desperate to be better for you) They took out my tongue (No recourse for the decision enforced) They stole my...
We're nearly there. The Mayan calendar ends, and with it, our civilisation. Perhaps. Or maybe they just ran out of space, and couldn't be arsed to carve another one.
#endoftime A boy and his B.U.D. That's me and him "Biometric Universal Device" On the edge of boredom The brink of night Perhaps the only ones Still living in this wide, quiet sky.
#nightdwellers #October This is my time I can feel it come As the summer freys And the chills nip Gone, the heat of night sweat... Gone.
They want a man So I'm taciturn, solid and strong But they want a sensitive to listen to their hurts So I pull on the stillness, the subtle roots of empathy I allow them to grow But they want funny,...
Hey ... Sorry again for the lateness. And thanks for writing... Some really intelligent, emotive and witty pieces.
Sorry it's late. Been workin' like a dawg. Gawd bless @ren360 for kindly making my day with the last result. I don't get out much :-) Well done to my fellow entrants. Such great reading.
#emotion #avenging Across the heaths and blackened fens I'm coming for you I tear a path 'cross fields and glens And I'm coming for you No night can hide you, where you are I'm coming for you My...
Trenchart alley's dirty But at least it shuns the wind Of an evenin' (mid-October) When the sun's Autumn scarlet's thinned.
How about this as a future Opuss update feature. If you take part in any of the excellent competitions on Opuss, this might be up your alleycat too.
#nature The amnesia of landscapes December's diamond core Water's evolution... Art at minus four. Dessicated silence...
#emotion #breathless #despair It's a curious thing This life, this slow demise Across years and turning skies.
There's a quality in the air Which speaks of darkness.
#emotion Aaaaak...wheeze...eeeerk....aaaaaarg...gasp....eeerk...hhhhhh..... (death).
She said: "I will never love anyone like I love you." He said: "Is that good. Or does that mean you'll love all the others differently.
I subscribe to furious living. I squeeze every drop of awareness from seconds. I act upon urges and impulses, dodging damage.
#nightdweller I'd like to tell you many things; That my monster is imaginary... My monster is between my legs... My monster is a stuffed, child's toy, But you should know the truth.
Warning: lots of knowingly gratuitous swearing. With a kind of a point. FFFFFfffffffuuuuuuuccccck. FUCK. awfuck awfuck awfuck. Ah. Ah. Ffffffffucking...FUCKING... Aw... Fuck. Shit. Awwwwwww....pfffff.
@emotion @shame As they realise what I am Their faces change.
The bell rings and Anna sings; She sings of the life of clouds And the span of conception Distilled in the tears of God.
#emotion #annoyance The gentle tick of an ornate clock, The oaky creak of my antique bed The firing of the boiler's flame As heating tickles radiators The luxurious gush of fresh hot water Gaily...
Columbine, dear Columbine Your lips are like a red, red wine: Vinegary, make me gag... They give me morning headaches, hag.
#emotion # betrayal (this is a reposted older Opuss) The car shuddered as it rattled over the morse of potholes; these communicated only annoyance as Erica threw the Merc around the bends.
#emotion #betrayal I didn't dare move or even breathe as I heard the door open. It squeaked painfully as always, giving me and Tony a brief second to shift our standing positions again.
#terror #nightdweller Awake after decades Asleep in the earth, Screeching in flight Ragged and stinking Flesh flayed and hungry Mottled claws raised Tongue yearns for gore A throat thirsts for...
This shows what amazing talents lurk in the night hours of Opuss. And the day. Well done all.
AAAAAAAAAAGH. No way am I choosing from these. If Simon Cowell gets to narrow his options down over time, so do I. So here's what I suggest: Emotion contest: The Final Five.
#emotion (terror) So I get another call from County Police. Seems that their worst fears are confirmed. THEIR worst fears. It's my life on the line here.
My fickle eyes can barely make A distance in the sky's black lake. A blur, a smudge... But not suffice To see a glint in rings of ice.
Thanks to @sara_lou for surprising me with her decision... Must've been a real toughie. And congrats to the other writers - great pieces.
A son says to his mother: "I don't like salad. I won't eat it." His mother looked at him. Then at the plate of untouched salad. "Well now, I'm not sure that salad much likes you either...
#emotion #jealousy I went away from you, heart of mine I travelled the spice routes Gathering scented cloths and pearls To drape upon your naked skin.
#nightdwellers On the graveyard bench After visiting Mum, A sudden chill took my breath - And overhead the cloud Boiled black. Day banished.
Graffiti and hot brick Frame you confidently. They know you are art... A masterstroke in umber As you read on the windowsill.
#household I think there's something living Down the plug hole in my sink; With noises rude it guzzles food That gets washed down I think.
For @Irrational_Kimmi and @leelee101 H ow many times can one lifeform moan about the opposite gender. U seless at intergalactic travel...
The Minister slipped. Not the normal slip-up Which can be covered up With spin and gloss And apologies from the boss In private deals... Wheels within wheels...
So here's an end to dreams An end to sighs uncounted An end to minutes held in trust And end to a heart of gold -behold its rust... I say 'the end' because I must.
I sit at my desk - and ideas won't come So I chew my pen, swing my chair, fidget and hum. The sly little bastards - those crafty ideas Have been teasing me daily for long friggin' years.
#dragons Where the rosethorn blood-beads draw, There remains his whittled claw. In the forest's ferny green There his hide hides inbetween. The many oysters of the sea - Here his pearly scales be.
#summer "I don't see The point of wasps," He said to me. "I mean bees make honey But wasps...
Miss Missile - look at you, All gorgeous and glorious Turn on charms and tempers Always victorious Self-styled cutey, belle from hell. A toss of the head, wilful pout. OMG.
#summer Here on my back Pressed between sea and sky I am beloved of Summer.
#red In Shawshank Prison, there used to be A fella called Ellis 'Red' Redding And though it never came for free You'd find, hidden in books or fresh bedding That whatever your wants or desire He'd...
They met first at the tennis club The Lathams and Pryces, A heady mix of forty love Served up surprising vices: Husband, wife in different pair - A mutual understanding.
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Opusseers, you give me the gift of your inspirational words daily. Thank you. But I got myself to wondering what writing inspires you. Which (non-Opuss) books/poems/stories.
#summer But this is the edge of possibility. This summer evening, warm and fey. The toasted- almond smell pervades The streets which once were wet and grey. Feel the danger in the air.
Slowly engulfed by wet, crimson lip Igniting the tip of my lust. The pulse of music beats in our chests, Hers rises on the inhale, nipples bloomed.
Dearest Opuss friends, today is publication day for me - a small step for wolfie kind. Two short stories were accepted and published today by Ether Books.
I squat, alert By the stream of consciousness Waiting to catch A potent poemfish. Some are nimble Shine with joy Like scales are gifted By the sun.
Yes, I've accepted it. No, but I'm not over it.
What's worse than skid marks in your underwear. Tyre tracks across your tshirt..
#nightdwellers You may not see me, but I am there Made of nightmares and thin air.
#nightdwellers The nightjar, feathered ink, takes flight - Behaves like shavings of the night. He sings electric, buzzing odes, A darkness engine on cloud roads.
#nightdwellers He said: Night separates us Divides us in the dark A person could feel Completely alone In streets etched from shadows Arty and monochrome Even though the streets Are emptier by day.
Yes, I ate all the pies. I've spent years Apologising for myself So this is it: Food makes me happier than you do. Eat that..
When does love begin. Is it convenient chemistry Blooming in ready flesh. Nanoseconds of conquered yearning. Triumphant emotion crowned with sexuality's thorn.
Why has the rain discoloured the sun. Go ask the crows. Why summer's ended before it's begun. Go ask the crows. Why do I feel someone just behind my shoulder Go ask the crows.
My neurons don't communicate these days Disconnected, fail to reminisce On conversations treasured And peacock dawns like this. I'm divorced from memories it seems; My mind, she angrily lets me go.
The Winter between us Becomes a strain Sighs like the west wind, Cool tears like rain. The time's right for peace now, For forgiveness to bud On the soft boughs of lips... To rekindle warm blood.
Sobriety's over-rated. It's produced All the times I ever hated. I'm happy when inebriated. Helps me stomach This personality to which I'm fated. Ego deflated, Mind-sails weighted...
#nightdwellers The night's a fevered garden Garnished with exotics; The gorgeous grease of dewdrops, And constellation daisies.
Daisy at the door Of the high rise flats: Surviving, it seems, On air and concrete. Tender beauty Made of impossible tenacity Surviving in the fag-ends, Glass and johnnies.
#nightdwellers Hang on, mate... Someone just knocked At my door. No - I'll stay on the phone... Bloody lock is stiff again. Only a prank caller. Yup.There was no-one there. Yeh..
#nightdwellers Hang on, mate... Someone just knocked At my door. No - I'll stay on the phone... Bloody lock is stiff again. Only a prank caller. Yup.There was no-one there. Yeh..
#nightdwellers Ever met someone So strange that You want to hide Or take a closer look. This guy at a bar Speaks to me through Morose, Monday beers And says, quietly: "Cheer up, boy.
#nightdwellers Gather round my darkling dears The dayliers are sleeping The candle flickers at the wick Outside the drizzle's weeping For them, the gales blow fitful dreams And creaking...
This is the candle post It's a way of remembering someone who is in our thoughts It is a place to write a few words of support Or perhaps even a prayer Write their names in the comment.
There's this pain Kind of unbearable Went to the doctor He was sceptical Took blood out of me Pushed his finger up in me Made me piss in a bottle Come in a cup Scoop a poop sample Pressed ears to...
It wasn't cut from ancient pines But fashioned from some infant lines It didn't bolster up a bed No notches, just full stops instead.
Inspired by @RichWithey As if from gothica They stretch in dark Enlivened by silence Inspired by the Veined pulse of shadow As though drawing ink From deepest midnights They roll around ideas And...
I'm red with rage and furious Who the fuck do they think they are. I pace around this kitchen Wearing anger's ugly scar.