After the success of the Gigathon promotional release 'Save Tonight', comes the latest collaboration from Hemel Hempstead band, The Caution Horses, and fellow local musicians The Antipoet, Fay Roberts, DodoBones, Tom Craven, Jonny Fox and Michael Fox. 

This BandAid-style Christmas single is donating all proceedings to chosen charity, MIND. 

If you like what you have heard, please visit www.justgiving.com/country-christmas to make a donation. 

There will also be an accompanying video release soon… watch this space!

Country Christmas by The Caution Horses & Friends

THE KING OF PERSIA’S PLEASURE

In 484 BCE, preparing to invade Greece, the Persian king Xerxes I built two floating pontoon bridges across the Hellespont. This met with disaster when a storm destroyed the flax and papyrus cables of the bridges. In his fury, Xerxes ordered the Hellespont to be whipped three hundred times, and had fetters thrown into its waters.
_ _ _

Xerxes, you would be so proud of us!

We've taken your idea and run with it.


More in complacency than anger, we confess,

but it's the end result that counts.


A chain of fetters, in the Hellespont?

Mere impotent display, you must have known.


For who – even a King – could cast a seaway into bondage,

place manacles upon Poseidon's realm?


Iron in salt-water goes to barnacle;

to coral reef; to rust.


Whereas Nylon, Polyethylene, Acrylic, PVC...

with these, one can entrammel whole oceans. And we have.


Do we please you, mighty Xerxes?  Are you satisfied? 

Is this revenge enough?

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

© Ken Cumberlidge 22-01-2023
First published in “Rat’s Ass Review”, Fall 2023

The King of Persia's Pleasure

Bend the Rules MASTER

Mais Non, Mais Non

Anna Skodbo's Album

Playing with harp sounds and voice (very rough and no mic)

Annie

A spoiler-free excerpt from Chapter 1.

Eithne and Rosalin meet Darian in the marketplace; tedious conversation and a telltale glance ensue.

To Save A World, by Hollis Jo McCollum, is available in paperback now, and is in production as an audiobook, narrated by Fay Roberts.

To Save A World (Hollis Jo McCollum)

To Save a World - Excerpt 1

Do you see me?
I 'm rabid like a dog of war
Vapid lacking action or
The thrill of chasing something down

Do you hear me?
Do you understand the words I say
In the secret language that we made  
I am better with you 
  
But it tears me up inside to see you so
loathe to let your feelings go  
Nothing is anything anymore  

I am the one   
I am the hunt  
I am the judge, jury, executioner   
I am the chase 
You are the prey  
I am ready to catch you whenever I want
 
But it tears me up inside to keep it in
Us two versus all of them
I don't want to be her again

I want to be better than I was before
This is the voice inside your head
You have always a choice to make your bed
Now you lie in it

Do you see me?
I'm hungry like a dog of war
Biting off a little more
Until I finally choke 

dialogue from MAG 132, The Magnus Archives by Rusty Quill
sfx from freesound.org by cydon, ketamineface, hellonyou, lwiploppenisse, kawamah_02, and pogotron
wolf silhouette from getdrawings.com
fonts from font diner (permanent marker) and sideshow (rocksalt)

Dog of War

Fay Roberts is a performance poet, a musician, a storyteller, an events host, an accidental voice actor, Artistic Director for Spoken Word at PBH’s Free Fringe, and an enormous geek. During weekdays, ze persuades people to make lists and say no to shiny things. For every role, there is a different hat, and a spreadsheet to match. Zir first full collection, Spectral, came out with Burning Eye in March 2022, and ze describes it as “a kind of poetry concept album, with illustrations”.

To Save a World - Excerpt 1

fayroberts

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