Persistent Rumours of Encroaching Ice

Encroaching Ice-Thea Kiros

Do you live in fear of Judgement Day? Are you feeling all alone in the face of Armageddon, isolated before the Apocalypse? Do you dream of any of the following:

A). The end of the world by flood

B). The end of the world by famine

C). The end of the world by fire

If the answer is yes to any of the above, do you believe that the causation will be:

1). Nuclear annihilation

2). Ecological catastrophe

3). Divine eschatological judgement

Or is it the case that you are more concerned with  the Violent Unknown Event*, or perhaps you can no longer ignore the persistent rumours in your head of the encroaching ice? Maybe it is the ultimate  heat death of the universe, as per the Second Law of Thermodynamics (that is, of course, dependent on whether the universe can be considered a closed system), that troubles your peace of mind?

Regardless of the exact nature and cause of Ragnarok, the collection Motion No. 69 is perfect material for the End Times. Although even a kabbalistic reading of its dense pages will not yield a definite date (however certain clues suggest that the world will end on a Wednesday, to at least break up the week), it does offer the possibility of a recurrence, this time with feeling.

* Or VUE for short-See Peter Greenaway’s 1980 documentary The Falls.

The Announcement

I am very pleased to announce that my collection of 69 inter-related poems and short fictions, Motion No.69  by Alex Severs  and fulsomely illustrated by Thea Kiros is now available for purchase here (as well as the various regional sites), in both paperback and e-book formats. I do trust that you will enjoy and any feedback, whether good, bad or indifferent is most desirable.

Not a Black Friday Promo

The Red and the… …Black

I am firmly of the ‘When in Rome’ school, so during the time I lived in America I would observe the annual hype, hysteria and the footage of grown adults trample toddlers underfoot in their rush to obtain the latest must have thingamajig or yoke that seems to attend every Black Friday with bemused indulgence. After all we used to have the January Sales over here back in the day, which was something similar, if slightly more restrained and less in your face.

But that was in America. Now Black Friday has now officially an event everywhere, without even the context and excuse of Thanksgiving. The January Sales start on Boxing Day/St Stephens Day (or, as it known in America, the day after Christmas) though with all the once in a fucking lifetime extravaganzas and bonanzas that we are incessantly informed about every waking moment it has been somewhat diluted. But then Mammon really is the God of the world, possessing an all seeing eye that never sleeps, constantly weighing our worth.

So this is definitely not a Black Friday promo, however I suppose it is good a time as any to remind readers that my collection Motion No. 69 will be published in six days, that’s right, just six days on Thursday November 30th 2017 at 3:23PM GMT.

I could say that the below clip has some connection with the post, (maybe something about group conformity and/or temptation) but that would be stretching it even by my relaxed standards. So just enjoy a clip from the 1973 movie The Wicker Man which features a haunting and yet bawdy (a maid that milks a bull?) song.

The Station Where The Train Never Stops

The Station Where The Train Never Stops

If, after having decided that you need a short holiday away from the Uneasy City, and lets be honest who doesn’t need an occasional break from its atmosphere of incessantly vicious inanity and barely suppressed menace, you find yourself at the station where the train never stops, the best way to while away the seasons, millennia and kalpas waiting is the fully illustrated collection Motion No. 69, available within the coming weeks. Not only does it hold the possibility of a promise of paradise, it also comes in handy in avoiding the too frank gaze of the woman with the smeared lipstick, containing as it does a calculating carnality.

The Sun That Barely Casts A Shadow

Do you* ever feel like you are living inside an old noir movie, where it is always night and always fucking raining? Are you haunted by false memories, existential nausea and an unbearable nostalgia for a home you have never visited?

If the above feelings sound familiar, the collection Motion No.69, to be released later this month if the auguries are correct and the stars above are aligned right, might be just the ticket**. After checking in to The Very Heaven Heavenly Hotel and playing a quick game of Shangri-La, you could be one of the fortunate few to visit room 418 on the 4706th Floor, with its spectacular view of the Mariensbad (or is it the Carlsbad?) Palace. Over the immaculate formal gardens the sun never sets and barely ever casts a shadow.  You feel like you have been here before, was it last year, yesterday or tomorrow, you can’t quite recollect, but no matter, every amnesiac moment has a vivid freshness.

*The designated You is merely a rhetorical flourish. Any resemblance to any person living or dead, or indeed fictional, imaginary, legendary or mythical, is purely coincidental.

**Purchase of Motion No.69 is not guaranteed to alleviate sadness, angst, despair, night terrors, suicidal ideation or melancholy.