Hello. :) I'm a student attending the Univeristy of Arkansas in Fayetteville. I'm working on a psychology degree, and will graduate in May of '09, at which point I will pursue a graduate degree in social work. I also write poetry and short stories. I now have two published books, Mirrors of Darkness and Light, and Mirrors of Madness and Sight, both of which are available through the links below (just click on the books), or from Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble online, etc. Check my blog for updates! :) Two of my poems, "Trust" and "Regret," were published in the January 2007 issue of Poesia, a local literary magazine. I also recently won the 2007 University of Arkansas' James T. Whitehead Sonnet or Sestina Prize. "Dark Wanderer" was published in both the online and print versions of Aoife's Kiss in July 2008 and September 2008, respectively. Below my books are linked pics to the publications in which my work has appeared. You can visit their home pages by clicking on the covers.
I do office work during the night shift to pay for school. I've always been a night owl, so I appreciate the quiet solitude. Between work and school, there's really not a lot of time to do much else, but there's something to be said for the creative chaos brought on by burning the candle at both ends with a blowtorch.
06/28/08: UPDATE! Mirrors of Madness and Sight is now available! You can click the book graphic above to go directly to the publisher's website. Book signings are forthcoming, so be sure to check my blog for upcoming events near you. :)
Update! I have great news! My sister, Shannon A. McCaslin-Nolen, has written her own novel, The Other Side of the Glass. Her book is available from Publish America.
Clogyrnach of Castle Keep
Bright midnight stars were glistening --
Cold, dark gargoyles were listening --
Fierce eyes made of stone
Chilled me to the bone --
There alone, questioning.
I stood beneath one grotesque face,
Its wings made for an angel's grace.
I almost thought he
Said something to me:
"Set me free from this place."
The castle was an ancient keep,
Its walls wrapped in green vines that creep.
On towers they grew,
Through mold and mildew --
And the view made me weep.
Tall gates fell back from ancient beams;
For I was not alone, it seems.
I felt someone near
Who caused me great fear
In this drear world of dreams.
Then all the gargoyles sprang upright;
I thought that I must flee or fight.
They circled me round,
But made not a sound --
On the ground, in the night.
The grotesque one with feathers fair
Caressed my hand and kissed my hair.
His eyes all aflame,
He whispered my name.
"Can you tame this wild lair"?
I knew not what he meant, yet I
Was certain that my death was nigh;
And this he could tell --
He seemed to know well --
He would sell me a lie.
"The castle holds us here by day;
We turn to stone with sun's full ray.
This Keep is a tomb;
But you break our doom.
In a room you must stay;
'Then when the sun begins to shine,
Pour red blood on these wings of mine.
Its virtue will break
The spell, and will wake
Me and make you divine."
Such was the magic in his voice
That I was left without a choice.
I smiled as he led
Me in, to my bed --
How the dead do rejoice!
A bowl of blood I was to fill;
It was my fate -- it was his will.
When I saw the sun,
I wanted to run;
Life was done -- this would kill;
Yet it was far too late for that.
I walked to where the gargoyle sat.
My bowl of red blood
Poured out like a flood --
For his good -- that was that.
As bright white sun caressed my skin,
I saw a grim and gruesome grin
Touch now rosy lips
And stone fingertips.
Through blood drips, I would win.
I watched the glimmer in his eye,
And saw too late the clever lie.
My skin turned stone cold --
He stood there so bold --
Wings unfolded to fly.
But now the sun was blinding me!
I tried to watch, but could not see.
Only when the night
Ate up the sun's light
Could my might be set free.
Divinity he promised, and
I ponder it, as still I stand.
I patiently wait,
And watch o'er my gate
As old Fate does demand;
And all the other gargoyles sleep
Upon the walls above the Keep.
I swear for his lie
That creature shall die --
As I sigh -- as I weep.
~~ © M. Teresa Blaylock, Mirrors of Darkness and Light, 2006
Note on form: A Clogyrnach is a traditional bardic Welsh form of poetry with very specific guidelines. The first two lines of each stanza must be eight syllables each, the next two five syllables each, and then you can either do two lines of three syllables each, or one line of six. The rhyme pattern is aabbba for the six-liner "cloggie," and aabba for the five-liner (which I used), but the "b" rhyme must still be in the third syllable of the last line if that form is chosen.
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