Looking for hidden treasure
in the doing of serious leisure
at the exotic Coco Mojo bar
I’m ordering yet another
mango mojito
whilst listening to Mojo JuJu
singing her native tongue
as that Coral Sea
keeps on brightly glistening
in the tropical morning sun
But the waitress
instead of a mango mojito
she brings me
a tall cappuccino
That rich coffee aroma
then took me instantly
to a pleasant via cafΓ©
. . . somewhere in Tuscany
As I awoke
from a foreign dream
that waitress
just stood there
whispering
“All is not … as it may seem”
And it would seem
she put more than just cream
in my soporific coffee?
Was she playing with me
in some mischievous game
of chemical cat and mouse?
Appearing as if butter
wouldn’t melt in her mouth!
Yet the lilt of her accent
sounded a sweet melody
So I enquired
could she possibly
be from the old country?
She replied most emphatically,
“I am a proud Caledonian,
from the Isle of Avalon.
So, I guess you could say,
I am from the Old Country.”
Encouraged by this declaration
and feeling quite game
regarding this fair maiden
I enquired after her name
“I am Ain of Elphame,
High Priestess of Dagna.
Daughter of none other than
Lord Cernunnos and Queen Danu.”
“How nice for you . . .
A princess, and religious.”
was my crestfallen response
This one is off with the fairies
May as well skip the tip
… I thought to myself
To cut short
the discourse of this
strange conversation
I ordered a tequila
straight up
with a slice of lemon
… but this errant waitress
then brought me
some rock salt
and tap water in a glass
What was with this
waitress most contrary?
I could clearly see
she possessed great beauty
But why was she being
so beastly to me?
As if to answer
my unspoken query
the waitress leant over
and whispered to me …
“I seek only to conserve
your manly prowess,
as one does with plums
and ripe summer berries.
I did warn you earlier
of my kinship with fairies.
For I am the Horned One’s
wayward daughter,
but you may call him Bucca”
“I was concieved
upon a burst of Hades fire.
Then banished to endure
a lonely existence
amongst the mortal mire.
Cursed from birth
to neither weep, nor smile.
But to endlessly seek
the consolation
of fiery consummation
upon this forsaken earth.
And with only a soldier
of valour and fortune,
from the royal line
of Queen Boudicca born.
I am in great need
of a straight shooter.
As fate would conspire
I can see truly
you are a gun for hire.
Have no misgivings,
I mean you no harm.
So, are you now up
for some giving,
and a bit of taking?”
In the blink of an eye
an occurrence of transference
I was up and away
within a mystical convergence
Transported with diaphanous ease
as on the tail of a summer breeze
across that bridge of sighs
where she had me on my knees
with the apocolyptic ecstacy
of a smouldering golden prize
as primal urges of surging forces
merged with trembling thighs
Reaching deep
within a helter swelter
as the sky caved in
with not a thing
left to shelter
A reeling beyond all feeling
come crashing through
that blissful ceiling
Like a prayer being sung
Ain of Elphame
Princess of the Aos SΓ
then spoke to me
in strange tongues
of enchanted forests
magical adventures
and great treasures to be won
upon flights beyond the sun
Mentioning only
her Fairy Queen mother
and her diabolical father
with a parting blessing …
“Your seed indeed
shall be safe with me,
as Ollathir the mighty
always protects his own.
And Cernunnos
will soon have his
long awaited grandson.
For this gift of solace
I shall leave you
still clinging to mortal breath.
And with some good advice
so now harken.
You’ve made a multitude
of erroneous choices
whilst listening to many
felonious voices.
It is never too late
to rewrite your fate,
or else taste the bite
of deepest regret.
Fare thee well
my dear human.
And so you never forget
that I am Ain of Elphame,
with a bolt of Taranis lightening
and a burst of Dagna thunder
I now smite
and cast asunder
that cosmic sign
you’ve been wandering under”.
~ by David B. Redpath Β© 2018-22
The apple not fallen far
from the tree … apparently.
And so looking forward
to finally meeting me.
An adventurous lad …
who’s sailed the seven seas,
and loves his little mermaid.
The pearl he plucked from
the depths of the Caribbean,
but demonstrably, not very healthy
whilst keeping bad company π·
. . . and known to go a bit crazy.
Yet, I do have high hopes
for him, my beloved son
in whom I am well pleased
… if only he’d get over
his messiah complex …
. . . ceased attending those
lame arse Halloween parties π±
. . . and quits that Tik Tok π
Photography;
D. & L. Redpath Β© 2018-22
Halloween Photos& Videos;
Stefan & Alexandra Redpath
Β© 2018-22
How fantastically surreal! An ethereal creation! WOW
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A supernal thank you, Eleanor π
but what gave you the impression
that this was a work of fiction? π€
Must’ve been the happy ending π
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I respect and admire your stylistic choice, how your poetic magic leaps out at me with every word, the colorful bold imagery, it is truly a work of art.
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I am comfortably mischievous π
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Well, Mr. Redpath, you scoundrel! π
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A habit David learned from his Uncle Ernie. π
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Uncle Ernie is an ever spouting
fount of carnal knowledge β²
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Trust you get to get involved with Ain of Elphane the daughter of Lord Cernunnos and Queen Danu, David.
As Captain Jack Sparrow once observed, “The apple never falls far from the adoptive Uncle Ernie tree.”
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I’ve forgotten more than old
Uncle Ernie ever taught me π€
Thankfully ππ
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π ππ€£
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loved all of your words and pics so well delivered with fun, depth, laughter, surprise and joy David.. nicely doneπππ
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Thanks Cindy ππ
I was wondering if this post
was a bit too naughty π but
with your positive response,
I now know that it must be π
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Reblogged this on Nelsapy.
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Your work is so interesting and vivid and then you have these amazing photographs. Great story written in poetic form. Nice writing David, love the photography as well. Sending you two hugs and wishes for a great week a head. Love Joni
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A much belated thank you,
Joni ππ
I’ve been busy with several time
consuming projects. Included in
the pandemonium, a pandemic
grandson (as he’s grandchild no.
11 for Linda and myself … not
just for being born in the year of
Corona 2021 π).
In fact I’m due for a holiday, on
compassionate grounds … so
looking forward to catching up
with your inspiring poetry, Joni.
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David it is good to hear from you. Hope all is well with you two. Congratulations on the both of your grandchild, oh my goodness 12 grand babies. What a blessing. Sending you both lots of love, hugs and blessings. I feel sorry for both the teachers and the students. You both take care of each other. π€β€οΈπππ
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Never been pandemically better,
thanks Joni π Yes, young Levi is
going to be surrounded by many
siblings and cousins πΆπΆπΆπΆ
The two grand kids whi live with us
have been unable to attend school
for almost two years due to Covid,
as we live in Victoria, Australia π¦πΊ
the most locked down state on the
planet π π
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Wow I didnβt know you were in Australia. I am so glad that your family is all right. This is a crazy time. Having children around keeps us young. Wishing the very best for your family David. Sending you all my love and hugs and prayers for safety. Love β€οΈ Joni
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Thanks Joni πβ€οΈ
Yes, Australia . . . π¨ π π¦πΊ
the Lucky Lock Down Country π
where many are going cabin fever
isolation crazy. But there’s a light
at the end of the vaccination tunnel.
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I did not know it was that bad there. I am sorry. It can be very difficult. I know you two are taking good care of each other. I will say a prayer for you both to be safe. Sending you both my love. π€β€οΈππ¦Joni
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We have El Coco (AKA: Cucuy, Cuco, Cuca, Cucu) living in our bosque. He will go trampling through our black bamboo when we are sitting out on the deck at night. His trampling, rustling and growling scares the living daylights out of the city folk who might happen to be visiting. El Coco, La Llorona and Chupacabra all help me irrigate in the wee hours of the morning. We never get trick-or-treaters at our house because our property is too dark and scary, plus we have real monsters to contend with.
Fantastic post and epic poem. The images are wonderful and the characters fun.
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Thank you fiendishly, Timothy π
We have nothing so ghoulishly
exotic around here, sadly. Just a
few well trained guard crocs π
to keep those trick-or-treaters away.
Consequently, they’ve all got bad
tooth decay from those bags of
treats they’ve consumed. Have
you ever tried taking a fully grown
crocodile to the dentist? Believe
me, I bit off more than they can
chew last time I tried, and now
I have to find another dentist! π
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And I assume dentists are in short supply?
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Our dentist seems to have
got lost in a cavity π¦· π
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Mine did. I had to change dentists last year.
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Perhaps give Bette Midler’s dentist
a try? π€ πΆοΈ
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She has a good set of teeth.
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Good teeth are so important π¦·π
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Whew, a little warm in here. And I’m not drinking. Yet.
Nicely penned!
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Thanks, Will π₯
I was up in the tropics when ποΈ
I wrote this piece, so I suspect
that the heatπ₯and humidity π₯΅
got to me a bit π
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Brilliant David. You held me captive throughout
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Just like those kidnapping goblins
do with unchristened children π
Thanks for talking the time to read,
Brenda. Greatly appreciated π π
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Yeah, I’d say that waitress slipped you a Mickey, all right.
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Not the first time I’ve been Cosbied,
Liz π π I don’t know why people
do that when all they’ve got to do
is ask nicely π€ πΆοΈ
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Chortle . . .
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Wow, what a ride. I don’t think you need that Tequila! A seat belt perhaps!
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Thanks for taking the trip, JT π
Perhaps a Pink Gin & Tonic with a
swizzle stick would do the trick πΉ
(Queen Elizabeth’s favourite tipple)
… and to think, I don’t even drink π
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Beautiful write as always David!
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Very much appreciated, Anita π
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Pleasure,David π
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Beautifully written. This is an amazing kind of poetry with amazing pictures and videos. Seems you are enjoying it well. Best wishes.
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Thanks for taking the time, Indira π
Very glad you enjoyed this piece.
I guess Halloween is the Western
equivalent to Diwali, only the good
side lost π π
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Reblogged this on By the Mighty Mumford and commented:
JUST IN TIME π
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Exotic and thought-provoking!
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That’s the story, Dawning Glory π
Nothing like a sip of exotic soporific
coffee to get the brain cells going β
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that was a wild, dizzying ride, David; a splendid narrative in verse and pics; a splendid concoction π
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Thanks for the diagnosis of my
psychosis in verse, John π π
To my best recollection, the coffee
that waitress served me was a most
splendiferous concoction (unless it
all actually happened? π€ πΆοΈ).
The thing with fairies is you first
must believe if you wish to see one,
so a big sip of an hallucinogenic
drink would certainly help ππ§ββοΈ π
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echoes of ‘La Belle Dame Sans Merci’, David, but with an idiosyncratic twist, seen through psychedelic eyes —
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When it comes to Keats, it’s hard
to beat such a frolicking tale of both
pleasure and pain. We can but do our
best to spread some delirium, John π
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Beautiful mythologically description of your experiences of wish for exotic taste.very well written,dear Redpath!!π₯°πππππ₯°
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I don’t no what got into me, Aruna!?
Being on the juice π₯ is my only
excuse for getting seduced by a
mysterious creature on the loose π§ββοΈ
Certainly an exotic experience π
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Yeah.I knowπππππ
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One must always beware of the daughter of the Horned God Lord Cernunnos.
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No, Christopher!
That would be a terrible fate π±
to be horned by your date’s father πΏ
for getting her home late β
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