Roving Star

It’s not just the distance traveled,
That taught us to become friends,
But also the knowledge that always
We would stay together till the end.

Moving light in the night sky tells
Of a sign of the beauty we have here
At the journey’s end of the beginning,
A new adventure drawing near.

Campfire, friends and solution found,
We look on to the peace of finding.
Fir trees, stars and tranquil fields,
Let us tarry here in the evening.

And when they come looking for you to carry you away—
Stay calm.
Remember your life below.
_____________________
With the release of every chapter of Below the Land, I will be posting a companion poem. This is the poem related to Chapter 28.

Below the Land

The raging torrent comes for me again,
A wild avalanche of razor sharp lines
With fever and sickness crawling through
My legs and my arms, a fire drawing
From somewhere deep within,
My heart ready to burst at the fear
That it’s far too much to ever contain.

Please let it stop, let the underground waters
Keep me far from the hot flames
That rapture at the edges of my mind
And fly far out beyond who I am,
Threatening to drive out past my fingertips
And toward those I care for on the shore
Here in the torch-lit cavern below the land.

And yet, this is who I must become,
Alone to the rest of the world who can’t
Ever know these tremors that carry me
Out past who I’ve ever been before now—
This is my strength and my ability,
To light up the sky with fire
Or to drain it all down to finest point.

Tie it off, hold on to the sour fire
Until it stops and turns to strength,
As the water cools and calms and radiates
Away the worst of the heat and fear,
So now the water is under my control
Along with the joy of this whole world
Here in the torch-lit cavern below the land.

_____________________
With the release of every chapter of Below the Land, I will be posting a companion poem. This is the poem related to Chapter 27.

To Let Come What May

We’ve come so far across the lands,
To see now lakes calmed somehow
Beneath the trees that wait for
You to become who you’re meant to be.
And I still fear now that it’s all too much
For your little self to handle
In the great world under shadows
Of the mountains and dark waves.
And yet I find that I must let you go
To take hold of the greater wonders
That shine up from within you
And show us all something beyond us.
But still I want you to know for sure
And never have in your mind a doubt,
That I will care for you forever,
Even when the sun goes out.

_____________________
With the release of every chapter of Below the Land, I will be posting a companion poem. This is the poem related to Chapter 26.

Action and Consequences

The great burden is not the fevers
Or the tremors late at night
Or even the length of the journey
To find a solution to our troubles.

It’s not overwhelming nature of the power
Or the misunderstanding of these abilities
By all those around us who are afraid
That this could be the end of their lives.

But rather it’s the consequences of my actions
And the unknown results of what I do
When I change things for better or for worse,
All good intentions mattering little in the aside.

So what do I have to do to understand my actions?
I will learn everything I can, and I will take hold of this strength.
_____________________
With the release of every chapter of Below the Land, I will be posting a companion poem. This is the poem related to Chapter 25.

The Great Changer War

Clashing of mighty power
Tearing down the heights
Fomenting war’s beating drum
Picking battles and finding fights
Terrible torture of the dark ones
Quiet abstinence of the light
Fighting for home and nation
Finding difficult what is right

They come now to Quake Town
Determined to end this endeavor
Battling for nation or evil intentions
Knowing this can’t go on forever
They whittle down their numbers
To only a few banded together
And one who sacrifices himself
To ensure life in the land isn’t severed

Take to heart this lesson
That there are bad and loyal and good
Your heart is caught between
Using your abilities as you would
And the cry for release from struggle
When you already know you should
Control these longings for freedom
Even though you know you never could

For the sake of your friends and the world.
_____________________
With the release of every chapter of Below the Land, I will be posting a companion poem. This is the poem related to Chapter 24.

Out There in the Dark

Tremors in the night—
The non-terrors are full wonders.
To mold the water and the dripping faucet
Must be to carve my future from the stone.

I can discover what rages within—
Push it down beneath my bones and skin.
Fill up for yourself peace at my persistence,
Knowing I must resolve my own heart.

Out there in the distance—
I can feel more than anyone else.
The rising fire of past things lost to us
Will be, I promise, the worst of our heartache.
_____________________
With the release of every chapter of Below the Land, I will be posting a companion poem. This is the poem related to Chapter 23.

Nearing Journey's End

The green leaves nearly glow
In the hilly land near the mountains,
Traveling south to the smoldering peak,
Where the rising smoke is our sign

We draw inspiration for the smallest
Among our weary group of souls,
Find no room to complain about anything
When our struggle cannot compare

Nearly to the end of this journey,
Or at least this portion of the travels,
Not yet sure what to think when
You show me pursed lips and a cold shoulder

Regardless, we must carry on now,
Approaching the final stretch,
Trees lift us up as we search out
The location of the man at Mt. Sull
_____________________
With the release of every chapter of Below the Land, I will be posting a companion poem. This is the poem related to Chapter 22.

My Love for You Isn't Safe

If I had known from the beginning
That my love for you isn’t safe,
I wouldn’t have told you how thankful
I am for how much you care for
Doing the right thing and protecting
The good and the true and me.

I would have lay awake under the stars
And drifted to sleep thinking about
Someone other than you.

But now danger has come to remind me again
Of all that could go wrong when we
Lack the focus that is stolen
When we let our emotions carry away
Our sensibility and awareness
Of the traps closing in around us.

I wouldn’t have come to you last night
To feel the pull and strength of your arms,
Had I know that my love for you isn’t safe.
_____________________
With the release of every chapter of Below the Land, I will be posting a companion poem. This is the poem related to Chapter 21.

Smoldering

The dark forest where we run
With burning sticks from fires gone
Hearts ablaze and about to burst
Memory rising to the surface to scare
Away the feelings of awe as we touch
Careening toward accusations
Unable to prevent the fear
But let us draw near to the villain
And root out the screams we hear
Into the flickering we fly at the beasts
Gleaming steel shearing the flesh
And the guttural cry of lighting up
Like a glowing log in the furnace
Smoking out our hearts with terror

And at the end of the night,
We are exhausted, shivering, bleeding, weeping,
And once more left alive.
_____________________
With the release of every chapter of Below the Land, I will be posting a companion poem. This is the poem related to Chapter 20.

The Pain of Memory

Don’t you remember what it was like,
Back before you knew about this life,
When every day was an exploration,
And not just a waving voyage to a fight.

what I remember
is the blood on the floor
cries of horror from the door
the pain of tragedy for hours
and feeling sick at the flowers
they picked to remember
what I hoped to forget

So watch out for the worse things still,
And if you won’t, then trust that I will.

what need is there to watch
for the gripping fear that is before me
in the daylight when I still see
the sight of those lifeless eyes beneath
staring up and condemning me
for what I can’t bear to speak about
even so far out beyond that life

So let us stand tall against this together.
but I can’t while I fear I’ll remember forever
_____________________
With the release of every chapter of Below the Land, I will be posting a companion poem. This is the poem related to Chapter 19.

Once We've Passed Safely Through

I once read it in a book,
But I’ve never seen it with my own eyes,
Not that I’m one who denies
The chance to go have a look.

Guide us down through the deep woods,
Watching out for the Thura cats,
Now as we go take our chance,
Traveling south, wondering if we should.

Because I trust you, if he trusts you, if she trusts you
Now to run with us unimpeded,
And our contract is done and completed
Once we’ve gone and passed safely through.
_____________________
With the release of every chapter of Below the Land, I will be posting a companion poem. This is the poem related to Chapter 18.

The Sheer Fury

How do you express it?
That sheer fury at the terror of life,
When everything is just looking up,
And then you remember the ones
Who were left behind in the red
Dying sun of the northern sky.
The anger that comes in the warm night,
In the coldness of a scarred heart,
For the never ending distress of
A frightened mind in the dark waves.
Cheer above that frustration, I say,
But I can’t anymore as I lay
In bed and cry myself to sleep for those
That I left behind in the orange
Of the blazing moon of the starry field.
I scream out at you for justice
Because you’re the only one who listens
To everything I speak
And every pain my heart cries.
_____________________
With the release of every chapter of Below the Land, I will be posting a companion poem. This is the poem related to Chapter 17.

Running Toward

The low rumble of the world below us
Dreams of escape trying to rise up
Through the dust of our shaken day
With nowhere left to run but toward
The danger of the risk of exploding
Like a sunburst in the sky of clouds
Or the moonbeams in the drawing night
With starlight fading to shimmering points

Dried up salt lakes don’t worry me
When I know we started by climbing
Over the mountains to find the desert
The extreme lifeline to the wells beneath
But it ain’t for thirst that I dwell on
Finding a path to the screaming answer
That breaks down the boulders in our way
Or the trouble trembling up from the ground
_____________________
With the release of every chapter of Below the Land, I will be posting a companion poem. This is the poem related to Chapter 16.

Still Leaping Heart

The oddest idea I can think of right now
Is that there might be romance in the stars,
With the way they dance in ordered spins,
Rising and falling as the night passes on.

In the lightless forest we linger for a moment,
The touch of your hand on my shoulder,
Making me wonder about purpose—
Can there be something great in such a small notion?

As the wind that passes through the trees,
So the thoughts rustle through my head
When I see you feeding my soul with your smile,
As warm as the broth that strengthens my limbs.

Twilight is still just enough illumination,
Even away from the hot fire we know we must kindle,
To see the honesty of a friend in the shadows,
And I trust you would catch, with ease, my still leaping heart.
_____________________
With the release of every chapter of Below the Land, I will be posting a companion poem. This is the poem related to Chapter 15.

Decision and Risk

I remain behind the safety
And comfort of what I have here,
Soft pillows and renewed strength
And the dissipation of my fear.

To stumble out into the green and gray
World of the unknown and unexplored,
It takes at least the confident urging
Of friends with assurance as they implored.

But it’s not from their reasoning
That I find myself convinced to take the risk,
But rather because of the call to explore
The possible paths to understanding this.

Health for myself and more importantly
The safety of those who surround me,
These must be the reasons that call
Me to travel back out among the trees.

I don’t know if it could possibly be the truth
Or the only path available for me,
But I will continue to carry on for the good
Whenever or not they mention prophecy.

And to explore must be the great call
That pulls me up from sleep to sunshine,
For the risk will be worth it if I can find
A way to help me and these friends of mine.
_____________________
With the release of every chapter of Below the Land, I will be posting a companion poem. This is the poem related to Chapter 14.

Can You Survive Who You Become?

So here we go into the bright sunrise
Floating waters toward the ceiling
Laughing for the renewed healing
Bring about a lifetime of learning newness
This amazing trial showing a promise
Of the incredible things around the bend
Where the corner is illuminated in dust
And the elderly are always on our side
The prophecies to tell us we can stand tall
In danger now that we know even more
But we have to tell her of the difficulty
Though what challenge has she not faced
Marching to the mountains and beyond
Fearing no more as the dark pain subsides
So lift up the curtain of our mystery
Find the answers at the smoking peak
Of how we might survive this circling fight

_____________________
With the release of every chapter of Below the Land, I will be posting a companion poem. This is the poem related to Chapter 13.

Entering Pass Town

The yellow sun rises once again
over the dry terrain of this land.
So let’s rest for a little while,
if we can in such a sandy place.
Just enough water for the sparse green
and almost enough to satisfy.

Take what you need and don’t let them see,
if at night you take more than your share.
A people so friendly in this desert place,
until you want more of what is rightfully theirs.
Where we go next is a mystery yet,
but for now may this dust be called home.

With the release of every chapter of Below the Land, I will be posting a companion poem. This is the poem related to Chapter 12.

To Create Such as This

The mountain ranges that rise to the sky
Or the great dark forests that spread the land
Running up to the lakes and rivers
Giving way to the wide salted ocean

To make such as these is far beyond me
And to imagine how to make the smallest leaf
Or the tiniest of specks of ash or sand
Is something for only the Creator to perceive

And to hand off this ability to those with strength
Is not something to take lightly
And is indeed surely full of impossibility
When all we can do is change what we already see

So destroy not, O my soul, for how difficult it is
For good things to be formed and remade
When the poison of wicked women and men
Comes stomping through this beautiful world

Thus may we carry on into the purple-orange sunset
Where golden treetops wave in the rising wind
Of life and good change beneath snow-capped heights
And crystal reflectors shining when starlight begins

_____________________
With the release of every chapter of Below the Land, I will be posting a companion poem. This is the poem related to Chapter 11.

Dark Waves

There’s a hope in the dark waves,
Softly lapping against the pitched boards,
Where I find safety in running away,
But freedom in heading to somewhere new.

Hiding our faces in the dark night,
These hoods are meant to conceal us,
But it’s the turning of the rudder
That sends us where we want to go.
For campfire and open fields
Give us a sense of purpose and choice,
Though the sadness of the past comes,
And we remember those who left.

And yet, there are those who have stayed,
Even as we haven’t, dusk after dawn,
But before night comes we search the tall grass
And see there’s a hope in the dark waves.

With the release of every chapter of Below the Land, I will be posting a companion poem. This is the poem related to Chapter 10.

In the Abandoned House

Dark corner, musty air
Fled to edge of reach
Here he comes
Wicked glint in his eye
Reaching for her
Scream to the sky

Window shatters
Floorboard creaks
Fabric bursts
Dust ignites

Bitter end, choking away
Hopeless tears
Here he comes
Through the bright door
Reaching for her
Come to save the day

__________________________
With the release of every chapter of Below the Land, I will be posting a companion poem. This is the poem related to Chapter 9.

First City

The white bright highlights on the crests
Of waves wandering to the shoreline
Below the brown wooden docks
Lined with clean sails and knotted ropes,
Down under the shadows of lined houses with
Beams holding up red and blue thatched roofs
Covering families and businesses and inns
Hiding in the beautiful day of such a grand
New and wonderful city of a town.
__________________________
With the release of every chapter of Below the Land, I will be posting a companion poem.  This is the poem related to Chapter 8.

Into the Night

Those shadows come out

In the dark and the deep blue.

Searching for the brightness

Of the new day dawning,

I yet find beauty in the faint light

Given by the stars that meet the horizon.

Why has it come to this,

In the deep pain and the fear?

Has this shadowed beauty

Been created for us,

So far away from shining day,

Where green flowers bloom

And red trees bear fruit

Under the northern slate mountains?

I must go on in search of the healing,

To find the right way through the doubt--

Beyond the tremor and past the shout.

This path must be before us now,

For we couldn’t can’t be left alone in this.

And so I know there has to be an somewhere better.

There must be a way.

There must be.

So now or never we trust this,

Let us go onward,

Even when the sun has gone down.

__________________________
With the release of every chapter of Below the Land, I will be posting a companion poem.  This is the poem related to Chapter 7.

Thorn's Den

What have you heard?
What news is there of the world?
Sharp swords and hunting knives
Tell us what’s at stake.

And speaking of the burning stake,
Have you heard of the criminals
Who turn our homes from havens
Into the dangerous place we always knew it was?

You can’t be too careful these days,
Not when there’s Changers about—
So keep an eye out for me
If you want to save your hometown.

__________________________
With the release of every chapter of Below the Land, I will be posting a companion poem.  This is the poem related to Chapter 6.

Fear and Trust

Won’t you believe when I say
I can’t do it on my own now
We’ve run so fast and far away
Feels like hope left our hometown

I pray for rest from being forever tired
A reprieve from the fearful distrust
Where she fights what’s inside her
And we can only do what we must

Won’t you hear our plea for some aid
A gasping cry for some brief relief
Don’t you see she’s so very afraid
And trusting you must be our belief

Give us a chance to breathe and heal
Here amongst this hay and the light
Just a moment to find out how we feel
Here safe for now in the dark night

__________________________
With the release of every chapter of Below the Land, I will be posting a companion poem.  This is the poem related to Chapter 5.

Grace Undetermined

Dark and lonely house,

Hazy in the afternoon dust,

Summer flowers turned to brown,

Will this grace be enough?

Why do I feel pain if I’m not guilty?

How can there be bloodstains

On the hard wood floor

From crimes that weren’t committed?

Surely this tragedy has no one

Left to blame in the lantern light—

Yet the sadness stays with us

And fear opens away from moonless night.

__________________________
With the release of every chapter of Below the Land, I will be posting a companion poem.  This is the poem related to Chapter 4.

Cost of Escape

Gold clinks over the woodgrain,
As I remember the bitter drink.
But we must sell what we know,
To go before courage shrinks.

I never thought it would come to this
Cries in the night

I never thought it would come to this
Screams for help

I never thought it would come to this
Shouts for doctor

I never thought it would come to this
Gasps of blood

How did it come to this?

__________________________
With the release of every chapter of Below the Land, I will be posting a companion poem.  This is the poem related to Chapter 3.

Calm After the Storm

I lie awake
and remember it all—
the anger,
the venom,
the frustration,
the call

To do what I must—
confront one friend
to protect the other.

Save us from
a pain,
a fall,
a scraped knee
outside the walls

In the dirt streets
where dust kicked up—
and I don’t hate you

Not yet—
let us first
seek out reason.

But perhaps soon will come the time
to leave,
to flee,
to seek outside,
to study.

May we find peace,
and until then,
I wait,
I sleep.

______________________________________
With the release of every chapter of Below the Land, I will be posting a companion poem.  This is the poem related to the Chapter 2.

A Joyful Existence

Home, where everything is as it should be,
Where nothing is as it was,
My soul longing for an action,
A distraction from the restlessness.

As the water is joined by the blue,
I find something new in the ways
Of life boiling to the surface of
A joyful existence here and now.

May it all be kept in order underneath,
Though new tragedies and turns come,
And life brandishes forth from the unknown,
Making hay about settling down.

Let this be a happy turn for you,
An excellent page in the study
Of all these good things we admire,
In the quilted streets we know and love.

______________________________________
With the release of every chapter of Below the Land, I will be posting a companion poem.  This is the poem related to the Chapter 1.

When Moon Blocks out Sun

The grass moves like a mystery
In the shadow within shadow,
Where we ran to the field
To watch beauty roam.

And the way wind blows
I would never have guessed
That fire and glass
Would grip my heart with such violence,
As the hour turns dark
And then light again in time.

The fear we share
Is never enough and never will be,
For though we cry out
And inflame our doubts,
I will care for you forever,
Even when the sun goes out.

__________________________
With the release of every chapter of Below the Land, I will be posting a companion poem.  This is the poem related to the Prologue.

Below the Land Release Date - May 24th!

Cover art by Abby Castillo

Hey folks!  I have some news.  My latest book, Below the Land, will begin its serialized release on Tuesday, May 24th on a site called JukePop Serials.  Links and further details will be provided as soon as they are available.

Following the release of the Prologue on the 24th, new chapters will be posted every Tuesday and Friday.  I look forward to sharing this story with you!

Below the Land is the first book in a new Universe Adventures series.  It's a fantasy adventure story that follows Sorel, who is faced with dealing with some unexpected--and unwanted--talents that seem to bring her more pain than ability.  Meanwhile, in the town of Hearthon, Paran and his sister must decide between maintaining their family business and chasing the dreams and adventures that await them in other lands!

And throughout it all, a mysterious word and a prophecy keeps being spoken in hushed and fearful tones:

“Born when moon blocks out sun

Known to almost none

One who seeks no crown

Only a Changer can heal the scar at Quake Town.”