A Long Winter’s Night — 2017 Edition: Day 2

| December 22, 2017

Yesterday I offered you all a poem that chronicles a more primal and realistic approach to the onset of Winter than one usually encounters in this pseudo-enlightened age. The first, To Yip Roll and Frisk!, views the anticipation of Winter’s arrival and revelation from the unbridled perspective of children and Dogs. To Yip and Roll […]

A Long Winter’s Night — 2017 Edition: Day 1

| December 21, 2017

Winter in Nova Scotia will arrive at twenty-eight minutes past noon Atlantic Standard Time today when the Solstice heralds the start of the long, slow plod to Spring. For those of us of whatever species who haven’t already migrated or gone into hibernation, this is a time of uncertainty tempered with incipient joy. The Black […]

Wringing Out the Trolls

| December 1, 2017

Today we welcome the month of December with a poem about Trolls. Why the hell not? Taken from The Unquestionably Fanciful Booke of Worlde Historie which has been relentlessly hammered upon my literary anvil for at least the past nine months, and based on Troll lore I once had verbally related to me, Wringing Out […]

War and Remembrance — We’ve Been Here Before

| November 26, 2017

In its ascension, the organization known to the west as ISIS successfully branded itself an unstoppable juggernaut, defiance of which promised a terrible retribution that included such horrors as having your immolation or decapitation broadcast to the world in surprisingly professional “official” releases. Take a nasty looking knife and cut a bound man’s head off […]

War and Remembrance — The Clenched Fist (Part 1 of 2)

| November 19, 2017

In the waning months of 1941, and  notwithstanding Hilter’s postponement of Operation Sea Lion in September of 1940, Britain was facing a continued threat of German invasion. In Europe and most every other bit of contested ground, as well as on the high seas, Allied forces were losing to the Axis on every front. Desperate […]

War and Remembrance — Less is More

| November 15, 2017

To optimize battlefield effectiveness, the Soldier is trained to rely on his issue weapons, and of those, the rifle is Queen. An excellent example of this philosophy is the United States Marine Corps which states as an absolute that every Marine is a Rifleman, first, foremost, and always, notwithstanding operational specialty, and requires all of […]

War and Remembrance — Let’s Dwell on the Past for a Spell

| November 4, 2017

In lofty halls, forked tongues entwine the words of conflict, At once invoking the name of War whilst insisting the Soldiery Stand upon the field for reasons otherwise. That a Soldier exists as the bloody finality of his Nation’s tolerance is forgotten. ~ Take the Fight to the Enemy ~ In a world at war, […]

Dark Sentiments Season 8: Day 31: That’s All Folks

| October 31, 2017

And so, another October, and another season of Dark Sentiments finds us here on the night whereon the veil between the corporeal and spirit worlds is at its thinnest, and Mrs. LFM and I celebrate the ninth anniversary of our marriage. Why Hallowe’en? Because when you’re getting married and a lot of the more important […]

Dark Sentiments Season 8 — Day 28: A Little Folklore Seasoned with Vincent Price

| October 28, 2017

Folklore comes from the same place as Human spirituality in that it springs from a need to understand the forces of the Universe by putting their obvious influences into some sort of context. On a human level, it is also crafted to convey time tested lessons of conduct to each succeeding generation. In this effort […]

Dark Sentiments Season 8 — Day 27: Of Monsters and Guardians

| October 27, 2017

In face of the objection that fairy tales will frighten children, C. S. Lewis made some observations that I find particularly applicable to Fathercraft as I understand and practice it. The first was, “Since it is so likely that they will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic […]