Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Writing Wednesdays: The Absurdly Epic Tragedy of Oscambria 1.3

This is a continuing epic poem. You can find the previous parts here, or by following the "Oscambria" label at the bottom of the post. Enjoy.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
IV.
While the yellow-faced Zzizgarg, I mean, Cornball,
Was conversing with his Father,
Spans away, Oscambria was mid-monologue
in an after Lessons theatre performance.
Oscambria starred as the lead actor,
Cademeaus the Beautiful,
In a play called “Sing to Me, Cadem!”

Let us listen in on his words.
“How can this be, you fiend,
that thee should offend
me and take the life of she I loved?
My heart! My soul! I am but a man
Burdened and weighted down
By your oppressiveness.

“Cindy never wronged thee,
oh Death, that you should smite her.
Her life was full of joy,
Her body a gift divine,
And her heart given to all.
I shall not stand this life without her,
Oh wretched horror.

“Hark! Mine eyes see her
beyond the Great Plain,
pale and terrible in her beauty.
I am coming to you, Cindy!”
And behold, our hero plunged a knife into his chest,
the blood flowed strong,
and Cademeaus the Beautiful died tragically on stage.

A moment of stunned silence
Was defeated by a powerful series of clapping
and shouting for his performance.
The blood-soaked body rose,
Bowed gracefully,
And walked off the raised dais and
Into the throng of his admirers.

“Thank you all,” said he, “that you came
to watch my performance.
I am but a mere semi-mortal,
Gifted by a spark of Flame in my heart
That propels me into the light of fame.
I can only do what my heart yearns to do,
And that is to kiss you, fair maiden.”

Oscambria pulled at a nearby virgin,
Embracing her in his hug and kissing her full on the lips.
She blushed, of course,
Having never been kissed before,
But also from receiving an act of love
From Oscambria, the acclaimed actor
And handsome hero of the stage.

It was there, surrounded by fans and
Adorners of gifts,
In his post-performance glow,
That a peculiar thing happened, the major plot impetus, if you will.
The youth all backed away in horror
And the elders retched a foul
and dark vomit.

Everyone began running at once,
Everyone but Oscambria,
To find a way of escape from the curse he suddenly found himself in.
The throng of worshipers
Had abandoned the actor within minutes,
Leaving him alone with the curse
And the agony that would ensue.

The Hero wept suddenly,
Tears stinging his young face.
His dark hair masked his countenance
For the time being,
Hiding the fear and revulsion etched thereupon,
Concealing the wondrous features
Of his handsome face.

Let us pause and consider this moment, dear ones.
Oscambria, the one day Hero of the Worlds,
The acclaimed actor and performer,
The one who bested Zzizgarg in a challenge in the Courte du Gods,
The one who defeated the Giant Koala of Havik,
Is down on his knees and weeping like a child,
Sobbing with abandon.

This, I offer, is the second lowest moment of his life.
This is where the tragedy begins,
Where the journey starts,
Where the plans are laid,
Where the gods are pleased,
Where a semi-mortal finds himself castrated from society
And suddenly cursed.

“What have I done,” cried Oscambria,
“That I should deserve this punishment?
It is more than I can bare.
My once beautiful skin is now wretched and grey,
Spotted with freckles and painful to touch.
And the odor that reeks from it
Is fouler than the Sulfur Sea of Hell.

“I dare not glimpse myself at a mirror,
lest I faint, or desire to pluck my eyes
like Oedipus of Old.
No, I shall leave this place and discover
Why I have been afflicted,
And who has wished me a-cursed.
What have I done?”

Oscambria rose from his position,
Just yards from the stage he’d just entertained on,
And dusted himself off.
He was still covered in the dark berry juice
That had been used as blood for Cademeaus’ fatal wound,
Still robed in classic Euro garb,
Still grey-skinned and cursed.

“Goodbye, dear stage, for I must leave thee.
I vow to you that I will return one day,
That I will perform on you again,
That I will discover the villain of this plot and knavery,
And that I will slay him with my own self.
Hear my words, Oh Muses, and know that I will serve
Thee with all my heart.

“Hear my vow, Oh Rone, and know that the
Fire that is in my lineage will burn bright in me,
That I will end this curse that has been placed upon me.
I offer you the Blood-cut, and I will avenge those that have wronged me,
I will live out my days in this agony
Seeking justice and vengeance,
And when I have found it, I will have my restoration.”

11 comments:

Paula Titus said...

I'm really loving this, thanks for sharing. :)

David Wagner said...

I still can't quite get my brain around the whole "epic poem" project in general, I don't know why. I mean, you're doing a great job of it, and I enjoy it... but for some reason, I don't quite know where to set the concept on my mental shelf... it isn't fitting anywhere in my brain! That probably doesn't make sense, sorry... it's like watching/listening to someone play a song on an instrument that I can't understand. Anyway, it's really cool that you can do such a thing, you have my admiration.

marky said...

encore! encore!

Crystal said...

Again, excellent post! I wonder what Oscambria will do next? Will he break the curse, will he return to the stage? I sure hope so!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

logankstewart said...

@Paula: Thank you for enjoying my story.

@David: Hmm. I completely agree with you. Epic poetry is absent from our normal reading, and it requires a shift in thinking to read and write it. Thanks for enjoying.

@Marky: Huzzah! Yay! Thanks.

@Crystal: Tune in next week to find out what happens next to Oscambria... Happy Thanksgiving to you, too.

Krista said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Krista said...

Love it! Good job, Sir :)

Krista said...

Sorry my comment didn't show up at first and then I sent it again and wa la they both show up... lol :)

logankstewart said...

@Krista(x3): Thank you, thank you, and hahaha. Gotta love Blogger.

Stephanie Fey said...

Wow!

That is a fabulous premise and I love the way you've mixed contremporary and classical references. Most importantly, I genuinely want to know whhat happens and to find oout if Oscambria breaks the curse and becomes the hero of the world.

Excellent writing and areal pleasure to read, Logan.

Who's a talented doggie? Oops. Forgot that's not your picture there but a picture of a white dog.

Steph Fey x

logankstewart said...

@Steph: Once again, thank you very much. I'm having a blast working on this epic. I hope you continue to enjoy.

The talented, white doggy is one of the main loves of my heart, Stella, my pet Maltese/Shi-Tzuh.