Hey, y’all it has been (in the parlance of our times) “a minute.” In amongst the daily cycles of work and play I’ve still been crafting, even in a piecemeal fashion. Though my creative output has slowed, I’ve had my fair share of input from a variety of sources as of late. These sources include a newfound fondness for the works of Lord Dunsany (Dun-SANE-y as I’ve come to learn), and finally getting around to seeing the Netflix adaptation of one of my favorite graphic novels… No not One-Piece, but Neil Gaiman’s “The Sandman.”
Through an exploration of Dunsany’s works, a bit of the mythological spark has been rekindled within me. I oft recall the adage I’d heard in my teen years about all modern fantasy being located in “Tolkien's Backyard.” Well after a bit of reading and research, it has become apparent that Tolkien was simply a resident in a neighborhood owned by Dunsany, and a neighbor to the likes of LeGuin, Pratchett, Lovecraft, Moorcock, and Robert E. Howard. In the world of “genre fiction” it can be argued that Dunsany may be in fact the most influential writer of the 20th Century. Each of the above authors has cited Dunsany’s works as major influences in the creation of their own literary worlds and mythologies. Without Dunsany, “High Fantasy,” “Weird Fiction,” and innumerable “Pulp” works may not have come to pass. Dunsany’s works are all in the public domain, so access to his earliest works (the ones most influential to these other prolific writers) is both easy and free.
For the uninitiated, Project Gutenberg is a library in possession of nearly 70,000 free ebooks, which have been collected and preserved for over 50 years. You can acquire them in any format you see fit, and you don’t need to use a bespoke application to access them either. I implore you to check them out, as you’ll likely find at least something that catches your attention. For example, titles such as “Frankenstein; or The Modern Prometheus,” “Dracula,” “Peter Pan,” and even the works of Ayn Rand (if you’re into that particular brand of Libertarianism.) Additionally, I’ve seen some of Dunsany’s works for sale, even in digital format… so why not save a few bucks and make use of a resource that is available to everyone?
With that out of the way… Here is the Titular content I’m sure you’re just itching to read… or you may need to seek out a dermatologist.
That One After Summer
By: Drew Swenson
Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedgently clouded skies
from above it cries
the world weeps
the trees sleep
from the west a breeze
with it, a freeze
reaping what was sown
a cease to the lawns mown
again they change
as do the leaves
it is ever-orange
as the summer flees