Exploration in Three Parts

[reidharriscooper]

I
untitled

I woke from under the tree

protected from the sun

into town I strolled

faces were a blur

everything unrecognizable

was I in my village

or far from home

the heat blazed

my skin blistered

people turned to lizards

refuge I had to seek


running backwards

I almost tripped

I reached the tree

it would save me

for now

as night time returned

I approached the village

cautiously

all were dead

nothing but empty husks

no blood, no guts

just hardened skin

emptied of everything


was I also devoid

in my attempt to avoid

sun's deep heat

had I surrendered my soul

did I have one

to begin with
 

were there people

was the village real

was the tree more

a monster maybe

that I offered myself to
 

these would be questions

to haunt me

the rest of my days

 

II 
FRANKENSTEIN, Agent of S.H.A.D.E.

In 2011 writers Jeff Lemire followed by Matt Kindt along with artists Alberto Ponticelli, Walden Wong, Wayne Faucher, Jose Villabura, John Kalisz and more created a tale based of the Grant Morrison re-imagining of Frankenstein from his series Seven Soldiers. Grant Morrison actually established much of what would come to be revealed further in this rebooted DC series prior in the event Final Crisis.

The series lasted 16 issues, collected in two volumes titled “War of the Monsters” and “Secrets of the Dead”. In the book Frank is a member of the collective S.H.A.D.E. ran by Father Time. Father Time has recently transferred his mind into the body of a 10 year old and has recruited The Creature Commandos for Frankenstein to lead into battle.

The Creature Commandos are long time DC characters who consist of a werewolf, a mummy, a vampire, etc. The version in this series while sharing the names of previous incarnations with a long and storied history based in WWII had an entirely new origin that existed solely within this series. Lady Frankenstein was also a part of the team. To fully explain her would take many more paragraphs.

What Lemire had laid down, Kindt was able to easily continue for what could be considered a cohesive two part graphic novel. This isn't surprising as they are very comparable writers who had collaborated before and since this series.

Alberto's art really makes these books shine. He's action packed, but handles quiet moments so well. I really recommend getting these two volumes if you have the chance. It tells a concise tale full of adventure, monsters, comedy, pathos and a satisfying conclusion.

III
SHADOW PLAY

One of the biggest parts of my photography experiments is seeing how light reacts to objects creating something new that one could hide under.
EDIT:(Photos.google is my new repository but it makes sharing hard, so here's a link/small folder made special for LJ Idol)

https://photos.app.goo.gl/3Y4naCAHmYJ2g3fy9



 written for[Unknown site tag]therealljidol LJ Idol presents Literary Prize Fight Second Chance Idol-Topic Two-"Shade"

Comments

[adoptedwriter]

Dang! Those photos aren’t coming thru on my phone. Amazing poem though.

[reidharriscooper]

It was me... not you. I fixed it but here's the link. Thanks for the poetry praise.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/3Y4naCAHmYJ2g3fy9

[bsgsix]

For some reason, the photos aren't showing on my MacBook, but the poem speaks volumes.

How much there is to hide. How empty we are.

Are we all just the shadows?

I like how you've given me something to think about here.

[reidharriscooper]

It was me, not you. Thanks for the praise.
Here's the photo link:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/3Y4naCAHmYJ2g3fy9

[itsjust_c]

Ooooh! I love the spookiness of 'Untitled'!

[reidharriscooper]

Much thanks.

[dmousey]

I will definitely try to remember to recommend to my son, picking up the graphic comics! Thanks for sharing, and for the photos! 🐁🐭🎀✌😊

[reidharriscooper]

Hopefully your son will enjoy. It's some weird stuff.

Glad you enjoyed.

[tjoel2]

I like the different takes on the topic. :)

[reidharriscooper]

Just couldn't stick one thought so why not just do them all?
Glad you liked.

[tonithegreat]

I like your juxtaposed responses to the prompt here. This could be a cool form for you for other prompts, too. I enjoyed the photos in particular.

[reidharriscooper]

This is how I my brains works, based on prompt. If I survive to more prompts and the prompts gives me more than one thought I shall tackle them all and treat them like a short zine as I did here. Glad you enjoyed.

[rayaso]

Excellent poem and photos, and I always love your pop culture information. A great read!

[reidharriscooper]

Thanks! Always love the praise.

[murielle]

Triple whammy!

Love the creepy poem! Love the summery and background of S.H.A.D.E! Especially love the photos! My favorite is that one of an alley or corridor. It looks positively otherworldly.

Well done! Bravo!

[reidharriscooper]

Thanks! and a Bravo too?

The alley/corridor is neither. It is a very very long freight train tunnel.

[murielle]

You go to the coolest places! It's like the corridor to hell or something. :-)

[reidharriscooper]

I've been trying to find if there's any spots like this to go to on my upcoming Orlando trip. Although I'm going with my mother so I probably shouldn't even consider it and stick to spots like it that are not dangerous (yes, this photo is extremely dangerous... part of the fun).

[halfshellvenus]

I really feel for that poor, half-dead red thing in the first picture (it looks as if it's sagging at the knees, on the verge of collapse). The black and white tunnel (?) photo is really striking-- because it would be so ordinary in color, but in B&W with those shadows looming into the space, it looks mysterious and spooky. The B&W mirror picture over the water with the sun-blaze in the sky and reflected back was really interesting too. Again-- all the more striking for being B&W.

That second to last stanza of the poem is really intriguing. We accept what has come before until we get to that part, and then it's all thrown into question. Was the tree more a monster maybe that I offered myself to... was the tree salvation? Or was it the curse after all?

[reidharriscooper]

Nothing actually in black and white here. Just how the saturation worked out in reality. I never do anything filter wise. I may mess with how much light/contrast there is but never in post, always while grabbing or attempting to grab what my mind's eye sees.
Really glad to see someone looking at them closer though.

In terms of the poem? I don't have an answer. Which is the point.

[alycewilson]

I love taking photos of shadows, too. Sometimes, they are much more interesting than the real thing.

Kudos to you for going with poetry as part of this entry.