Memento Inktober 31: Samhain

sunset marks the beginning and the end
celebrating harvest
preparing for darker days
midway between
equinox and solstice
magic in the air
people guising
enjoying bonfires
feasting
divination
connection with nature
connection with spirits
open to the change of seasons

Memento Inktober 30: Black Death

epic epidemic
death of the masses
suffering
pain
confusion
no one knowing
what to do
how to stop it
how to avoid it
as it moves
across countries
taking no prisoners
leaving bodies behind
broken families
lost souls
suffering
pain
confusion
black death
takes its toll

Memento Inktober 29: Miserere

seeker of mercy
playing songs made just for you
hoping that you hear

Memento Inktober 28: Evocation

bring spirits forth
bring energy
bring desire
bring the universe

become spirit
become energy
become desire
become the universe

believe you have control
believe you know
believe this is real
believe in the universe

know you have no control
know what you do not know
know this is true
know the universe

Memento Inktober 27: Angel of Death

present at the end
collecting your lasting soul
travelling beyond

Memento Inktober 26: Cursed

outside forces take control
you do what you're told
choice has been removed
outcomes just are
you're a puppet
someone else pulls the strings
this way
that way
up and down
you just go
along for the ride
watching
without power
just there

Memento Inktober 25: Vanitas

Art
imitates life
mocking the fragility
the temporary
the idea that we can hold on
to fame
to fortune
to pleasures
to anything
the only certain thing
is death
this life will end
taking everything with it
contrast the desire
with this certainty
laugh at the absurdity
take it all in stride
vanitas
keep us in check

Memento Inktober 24: Post Mortem

After death...

we don't know what happens
there are lots of ideas and theories
but those who truly know
can't tell
those of us still here
before death
in life
left wondering
sometimes afraid
sometimes intrigued
sometimes planning
for what's believed
giving up now for later
hedging bets
that later exists and will be better
others don't worry so much
and aim to be present
here and now
because we don't know
when now will end
or if anything comes next
now is all we know we have
past is gone
future is imagination
post mortem
may be nothing more
than two latin words

Memento Inktober 23: Black Coat

a black coat
hangs on the rack
alone in the corner
no one knows
who it belongs to
or whether or not
they're coming back for it
it's been there
long enough
that no one
remember
a time it wasn't there
yet everyone wonders
who the owner is
and what may have happened
though
no one dare remove it
just in case
the owner returns

Memento Inktober 22: Ossuary

A box for bones,

nothing more,

nothing less.

Sometimes

a simple box,

like you keep shoes in.

Sometimes

something 

much more elaborate.

A large building.

Catacombs.

Charnel houses.

Regardless,

a final resting place.

Calm.

Serene.

A place to stay.

Memento Inktober 21: Hibiscus

Symbolic

fleeting
             perfection
delicate
             beauty

Used to
attract
             love
             lust
             passion
create
             prophetic dreams                       

Temporary
            glory
            magic
            power

Memento Inktober 20: Red death

A figure in red
like fresh blood
bringing pain
and suffering

it's not an easy end
not a nice way to go
agonizing
though quick

dizzying
and gory
as life oozes
out ones pores

Memento Inktober 19: Atonement

To repair
To admit a wrongdoing
To fix it
To learn from
To grow
To do better
To atone

Memento Inktober 18: Phantom

a dark shape
floating in the corner
observing
not interacting
not interrupting
just there
present
aware
watching
learning
judging
deciding
planning
for what happens next
unknown
often unseen
unnoticed
ignored
we like our ignorance
treat it like bliss
believe that
to know is to hurt
to not know is better
debatable
either way
the phantom is present
just there
not interrupting
not interacting
observing
floating in the corner
a dark shape

Memento Inktober 17: Metamorphosis

Change comes when we least expect it. Forced upon us by circumstance and events outside our control. The universe has a plan. We don't get the details. Metamorphosis happens on nature's timeline, not ours. Control is an illusion. What is is what is. And what will be will be.

Memento Inktober 16: Moth

Small fuzzy insect
Blending into the background
Hardly ever seen

Memento Inktober 15: Memento Homo

"Remember, man, you are dust and to dust you shall return."

Everything is a cycle. From whence we came we shall return. What goes around comes around. Another trip around the sun. There are patterns everywhere if we're willing to see them. We can benefit from them or continue to repeat the same over and over again. There are lessons for us to learn if we're willing. As one of my teacher's said, the universe will tap you on the shoulder to try to get your attention. If you don't acknowledge the lesson, eventually the universe hits you in the head with a two by four so that you no longer have a choice. We all come from the same source and will return to it when this life is done. It's the in between that's the challenge, the adventure, the fun. What are you doing with it? Are you doing what you want to be? If not, what's stopping you? Odds are, if you really look into it, you're the one in your own way. Take a step back. See the bigger picture. What part do you want in it? Our time is limited so do what you love. Enjoy the journey. Enjoy the ride. Embrace the adventure. Remember, man...

Memento Inktober 14: Triumph of Death

Time is limited
Life only lasts us so long
The triumph of death

Memento Inktober 13: Grotesque

Disturbing
distorted
ugly
repulsive
comedic even

Disfigured
not what you expect
maybe the opposite
worse
creepy
potentially evil
potentially not

How do you react?
With disgust?
Do you recoil?
Or maybe lean in to it?
A kind of fascination?
Curiosity
wonder
Wanting to know more

Memento Inktober 12: Sacrifice

Sacrifice:
to give up for the sake of a better cause

What are you willing to sacrifice?
time
money
love
possessions
life
soul
freedom
sleep
nothing

For what would you sacrifice?
god
the universe
your partner
parents
children
friends
family
work
money
fame
knowledge
nothing

There's always a line
always a price
Varies by person
depending on beliefs
desires
passions
what we've been taught

Sometimes sacrifice is
needed
worthy
powerful
wasted
unneccessary
useless

Consider
motives
needs
potential outcomes
Before
giving up anything
for anyone
including yourself.

Memento Inktober 11: Bride of the Grave

Doomed to wait an eternity for a love who isn't coming back.

Memento Inktober 10: White Death

White death
sharp shooter
never see it coming
confusion
mixed feelings
and it's over
thanks
Simo Häyhä

Memento Inktober 9: Judgment

Judgment. An assessment of a situation, of a feeling, of a moment, of others, of ourselves. Often talked about as a negative thing. Creating a goal of being non-judgmental, which, for all intensive purposes, as a human being is impossible. We are wired for judgment. It's what keeps us safe and functional. We judge whether or not to enter a situation. We judge whether or not to eat something. We judge if we think the people around us are good or bad.We judge our own choices based on the results, often forgetting what lead us to that choice in the first place. We're harshest on ourselves. I think mostly because we're taught to be. So many things create judgments that tell us we aren't good enough for a variety of reasons. Generally they're trying to sell us something but that's doesn't erase the impact. A negative voice forms in the back of our minds always negatively judging out choices, who and what we are. There's a positive judgment happening too but unfortunately it's usually quieter, shoved into the background, and yet endlessly cheering us on. Endlessly hoping for better and believing that we are enough regardless of circumstance and such. It knows we are enough as we are, right here and now. We are enough. Judgments are just that. Judgment. An assessment. It's not fact. It's an opinion. Sometimes they fit and sometimes they don't, good or bad. Take it all with a grain of salt. Celebrate the positives and the wins, learn and grow from the negatives and the losses. We're always developing and changing. Judgments just point us in the direction we need to look, the areas we need to assess and decide what we want to do with, if anything. It's your life. Do with it what you will.

Memento Inktober 8: Imprisoned

trapped
caged
surrounded
by bars
made
from
others
expectations

forgetting myself
to fit the mould
forgetting myself
to make it easier
forgetting myself
to be yours

building
a barrier
keeping
me in
or you out
not sure yet
either way
i can't leave

imprisoned
in my own
weakness
trapped
by my own
fears
not knowing
where
to find
a key

Memento Inktober 7: Psychopomp

A guide.
Direction.
Point A to point B
No judgement,
nor opinion.
Spirit to take you through,
to get you where you are to go.
No thought.
No decision.
A job.
A purpose.
Soul manager.
In to your afterlife.
A cleanse.
A transition support.
A compass of sorts.
One direction.
One destination.
No opinion,
nor judgement.
Point A to point B.
Direction.
A guide.

Memento Inktober 6: Afterlife

What comes next? Unknown. Lots of theories. Lots of ideas. Nothing. Something. Anything. Ghost. Heaven. Hell. Reincarnation - begin again. Rebirth as something else, somewhere else. A second chance. Melt back into the mist. Rejoin the greater energy that everything stems from. Afterlife...we have no idea what may or may not be. From this I learn to be present in this life, in this moment. I don't know how long it's going to last or what's going to happen but I want to live every moment I can. I want to be present for the good, the bad, the joyful, the painful, the whole spectrum this life has to offer. I'm not placing bets on what awaits in the afterlife. What I know is that I have this moment. Nothing more, nothing less. Just right here, right now, and I'm going to make the best of it. This is my life and I plan to live it.

Memento Inktober 5: Hourglass

Time trickles by, one grain at a time. Each marking a moment that was but is not longer. The ones above standing in for time yet to come. Do you sit and watch it slip by? Or are you actively present in the moment, unaware of the hourglass counting the moments? We each have a limit. Do you stress about what it is? Or do you believe you're going to live forever? Grain by grain it flows through the curves. What goes through your head when you watch it? Do you think of life or death or something else entirely? What is time really? A construct. Something somewhere along the way we collectively agreed existed. Do you value it? Yours and others? Do you see the limits? Do you pretend they aren't there? Eventually all the sand in the top will be in the bottom. What then? What happens next? No way of knowing till we get there. And once there, no way of letting those left behind know. Make the most of your sand collection. Don't take any grain for granted. Value each moment. Live and be present because you never know when it's going to run out.

Memento Inktober 4: Limbo

The space in between
Wandering through the nothing
Not knowing what's next

Memento Inktober 3: Totentanz

Do you hear the rhythm? Can you feel the beat? The masses are coming. Step by step. In ones and twos and threes. Staccato movement with accents of shrieks. Slow and steady. Quick and neat. Surprising limber for the state of their feet. Dark and dreary, lively and sweet. There's magic in the air with each note rising, bringing forth those who once were but are no longer. Twisting and twirling, turning and flowing. Smooth like jazz and yet rough around the edges. There's a life lost and a life gained. Eye for an eye but not quite the same. The tempo rises, the energy soars. Crescendo reached and release. A collective exhale as they return to the ground. The dance of the dead is now complete, but it's a beat that never really ends.

Memento Inktober 2: Thanatophobia

A rough way to live
fearing the end.
Concerned with every dark corner
and what may be around the bend.

Consumed by not knowing
and lost in wonder.
Jumping three feet
with every crash of thunder.

No present in the moment
merely surviving.
Just going through the motions
not really thriving.

Lost in the dark
not knowing how to live,
death takes over
with nothing to give.

Memento Inktober 1: Pestilence

Pestilence walks by as others fall
dis-ease and destruction in the wake
a dark kind of magic
completely natural
unnerving
unsettling
cleansing
infectious
erasing
for a fresh start
nature always wins

Memento Inktober Intro

Going to use these as writing prompts to doing some creating this month. As it's the third so I'm starting late (I just found it today) there will be three pieces put up today. The plan is to take the prompt (possibly looking up meanings as I'm not familiar with all things on here) and write here then post, no overthinking, no editing. Let's see how this goes.