Serpentine (Disco Zombi Italia Suite)

The original version of Serpentine has been published in All of Me Vol. I, courtesy of Shadow Spark Publishing. Inspired by The Alvertaen Axiom by Jessica Moon and Mandy Russell. I was fortunate enough to read an early draft of Fractures I and the following song verses on their stunning vision. Title art is by Laurell K. Hamilton. Closing art is by Guido Mocafico.

Listen to Serpentine by Richard Charles Stevens (Disco Zombi Italia Suite)

Listen to Disco Zombi Italia by Carpenter Brut

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Come along and ride the serpent
Hold on tight this righteous servant nowise glides an idle circuit
Need not feel too tired to work it
First act right through final curtain
One long stretch of cursive sermon
Not a single verb uncertain
Hinting at deserved resurgence
Come along and ride atop the legendary serpent
Come along and ride atop the legendary serpent

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Twisting
Turning
Burning embers
Turning tricks while shifting burdens
Sifting through the cursed mist
Shifting stick with pride and mighty purpose
Endless realms traversed as it swerves every curveball breathlessly
Been to hell and on return preferred to verse ascendency
Only one agenda to delight in sights of splendour
High on life and steeped in timeless pedigree

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Meant eventually to be tentatively found
No lament for as and when ungently sent to ground
Clearly sound in theory and profound down to the compound
While true the one way to is through it paid to take the long way round
Less severe all stresses near
An end to each obsessive fear
Portended for successive years
Undressed then of this wrong gown

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Thoroughly indebted to recovery while each disclosed discovery proposed to close the chapter on the other we
No time owed to subtlety and stubbornly opposed to gross misconduct as the demons in our home sweet homes ain’t summoning
Not to say that night and day don’t play together merrily
It’s just that every storm we face with grace is weathered verily
Never necessarily the end when voluntarily upended
For a more progressive energy
Slender be the jeopardy
Of those opposed to death’s decree
And not a one thing beggarly
Of borrowed time extended leave

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Come along hold tight the serpent
Is it safe
Of that be certain
Keen observers need not fret
For they will be lent retrospect
Walk the wild side
Better yet
Ride high above the wind
Burning angels turning learn to love our tattered wings
Ashen lashes scattering a pathway halfway there
Visitors feel free to pull up chairs
Death need not become the be all end all all between
Final breaths need not lament the form we ought achieve
Sometimes all it takes is single call before we’re seen
Sunlight
Moonshine
Two times primed to gleam
Home is where the arts reside
Hearts on fire proceed
Melting icy spires of disbelief
Teaching us of dragon’s teeth
Unicorns in stunning form
Alicorns inviting all towards the halls of timeless dream

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Binding
Finding ever spritely ways to play in gardens thriving day by day
For while it may sound strange to say
We’re only next breath one away from Home
Have been required to taste the sour
To find the flavour
Seek it out
To learn and tweak our unique powers
And make great fates our own
Towering above the skies
Hourglass kindly biding time
Night and day impressing stride
Our industry is serpentine
Vision born of certain sight
Shadows sparking lights so bright
Each black to white
We duly bind
Tells tale anew through eyes divine

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To Alvertaen
To Alvertaen
To Alvertaen
The time is nigh to spread our Charcoal wings and fly
Rise above our mortal coils
Shed our skin then feast the spoils
We cordially invite thee
To a masquerade
No masks parading
Crystalline reflections
Timely recollections
Lighted
Shaded
To both sun and moon a proven palace
Some place where both sides unite
To strike the truest balance

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Come along and ride the serpent
Hold on tight this righteous servant nowise glides an idle circuit
Redefined
Inspired to work it
First act right through final curtain
One long stretch of cursive sermon
Take the hint for it predicts belong
No terms of service
To each pain impervious a gain remains to sturdy us
Come along and ride atop the famed and native serpent
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