Poem: "An Overflow of Your Heart"
Nov. 9th, 2020 03:06 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis poem is spillover from the November 3, 2020 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired and sponsored by ng_moonmoth. It also fills the "mental or spiritual distress" square in my 11-1-20 card for the Sense-Ation Bingo fest. This poem belongs to the series One God's Story of Mid-Life Crisis.
"An Overflow of Your Heart"
Volac was miserable.
He had been enthusiastic
about following Shaeth as
God of Evil, and had even tried
following Shaeth as God of Drunks,
but hadn't been able to secure
the transition from one to the other.
Shaeth, as his god in both cases,
was therefore stuck with the overflow
of Volac's profound unhappiness.
When Shaeth spent all day
grumbling about this, Trobby
finally said, "It's too bad you can't
just fob him off on someone else."
"Maybe I can," Shaeth murmured.
A few of his old followers, like Belfegar,
had succeeded in making the change.
Most, like Zargon, had remained
vigorous in their pursuit of Evil
even without a patron deity.
Poor Volac seemed to be stuck
in the middle, neither able to switch
from Evil to Drunks as a theme for
worshipping Shaeth, nor content in
manifesting Evil without a patron.
There was, perhaps, a third possibility.
Shaeth cast a scrying spell and went
to find his old high priestess Agleca.
When Shaeth reached his old temple,
he saw his daughter Desdemona
toddling across the stone floor,
smoke and brimstone wafting up
from her tiny pattering feet.
"Oh," he said. "She's walking."
Agleca grinned at him. "It's new.
She's taking a bit longer to grow than
a human babe, but I can be patient. You
should see what she can do to plants!"
Well, that explained the odd brown patches
randomly scattered in the grass outside.
"Volac is not so good at waiting,"
said Shaeth. "Has Desdemona
started reaching for people yet?"
"I'm not sure," Agleca said thoughtfully.
"She likes the other followers well enough,
but she doesn't seem possessive of any."
"Mine mine mine," Desdemona chanted
as she stomped around the temple.
"Any humans," Agleca corrected,
smiling at the tiny, adorable tyrant.
"I would like to present Volac to see if
she'll take him," said Shaeth. "He isn't
a great match for my new sphere of influence
and he's not satisfied with unsupported Evil."
"It's worth a try," said Agleca. "Bring him
to her and we'll see what happens."
Shaeth left her with a bag of jewels
and a scroll of drinking songs for
his part in supporting Desdemona,
then went in search of Volac.
A few hours later, Shaeth
found Volac sighing over
a quantity of beer that had
stubbornly refused to brew.
"Your yeast died," Shaeth said.
"I know, I know," said Volac.
"I'm just ... not very good
at this work, My Lord."
"I have sensed your misery,
Volac, and I have an idea of
what to do," Shaeth said.
"Yes, please," Volac said.
"I will try anything, My Lord!"
"Come with me," Shaeth said,
holding out a hand to Volac.
When they reached the temple,
Volac turned to him with wide eyes.
"Have you returned to us, My Lord?"
"I have not," Shaeth said, "but I
believe your salvation may lie within."
Agleca came to greet them as
they entered the temple.
"High Priestess," Volac said,
bowing low before her.
"Volac, Shaeth, it is grand
to see you again," said Agleca.
"Enter at your own risk and be
welcome within these walls."
Then Desdemona streaked
across the room, the floor
smoking in her wake, and
flung herself on Volac.
"MINE!" she squealed.
Shaeth's end of the link
went dead with the finality
of fine spirits burning off,
the last thing he could feel
from Volac a stunned joy.
"Congratulations," said Shaeth.
"I now pronounce you goddess
and follower. Volac, you take
good care of my daughter or
I will drown you in a barrel of
wine and then strangle you
with your own intestines."
"Yes, father of My Lady,"
Volac said happily. "I'm
sorry that it didn't work out
between us, though. I did
enjoy our time together, and
I tried -- but well, I suppose
it wasn't meant to be."
"In the end, worship can
never be a performance,
something you're pretending
or putting on," said Shaeth. "It's
got to be an overflow of your heart.
Worship is about getting personal with
your god, drawing close to your god.
Or in this case, your goddess."
"MINE!" Desdemona said again.
"Yes, My Lady," said Volac.
"Yours forever and ever, in
this world and all the rest."
Shaeth considered that
a good conclusions, and
went home to his own priest.
* * *
Notes:
"In the end, worship can never be a performance, something you're pretending or putting on. It's got to be an overflow of your heart...Worship is about getting personal with God, drawing close to God."
-- Matt Redman
ng_moonmoth. It also fills the "mental or spiritual distress" square in my 11-1-20 card for the Sense-Ation Bingo fest. This poem belongs to the series One God's Story of Mid-Life Crisis."An Overflow of Your Heart"
Volac was miserable.
He had been enthusiastic
about following Shaeth as
God of Evil, and had even tried
following Shaeth as God of Drunks,
but hadn't been able to secure
the transition from one to the other.
Shaeth, as his god in both cases,
was therefore stuck with the overflow
of Volac's profound unhappiness.
When Shaeth spent all day
grumbling about this, Trobby
finally said, "It's too bad you can't
just fob him off on someone else."
"Maybe I can," Shaeth murmured.
A few of his old followers, like Belfegar,
had succeeded in making the change.
Most, like Zargon, had remained
vigorous in their pursuit of Evil
even without a patron deity.
Poor Volac seemed to be stuck
in the middle, neither able to switch
from Evil to Drunks as a theme for
worshipping Shaeth, nor content in
manifesting Evil without a patron.
There was, perhaps, a third possibility.
Shaeth cast a scrying spell and went
to find his old high priestess Agleca.
When Shaeth reached his old temple,
he saw his daughter Desdemona
toddling across the stone floor,
smoke and brimstone wafting up
from her tiny pattering feet.
"Oh," he said. "She's walking."
Agleca grinned at him. "It's new.
She's taking a bit longer to grow than
a human babe, but I can be patient. You
should see what she can do to plants!"
Well, that explained the odd brown patches
randomly scattered in the grass outside.
"Volac is not so good at waiting,"
said Shaeth. "Has Desdemona
started reaching for people yet?"
"I'm not sure," Agleca said thoughtfully.
"She likes the other followers well enough,
but she doesn't seem possessive of any."
"Mine mine mine," Desdemona chanted
as she stomped around the temple.
"Any humans," Agleca corrected,
smiling at the tiny, adorable tyrant.
"I would like to present Volac to see if
she'll take him," said Shaeth. "He isn't
a great match for my new sphere of influence
and he's not satisfied with unsupported Evil."
"It's worth a try," said Agleca. "Bring him
to her and we'll see what happens."
Shaeth left her with a bag of jewels
and a scroll of drinking songs for
his part in supporting Desdemona,
then went in search of Volac.
A few hours later, Shaeth
found Volac sighing over
a quantity of beer that had
stubbornly refused to brew.
"Your yeast died," Shaeth said.
"I know, I know," said Volac.
"I'm just ... not very good
at this work, My Lord."
"I have sensed your misery,
Volac, and I have an idea of
what to do," Shaeth said.
"Yes, please," Volac said.
"I will try anything, My Lord!"
"Come with me," Shaeth said,
holding out a hand to Volac.
When they reached the temple,
Volac turned to him with wide eyes.
"Have you returned to us, My Lord?"
"I have not," Shaeth said, "but I
believe your salvation may lie within."
Agleca came to greet them as
they entered the temple.
"High Priestess," Volac said,
bowing low before her.
"Volac, Shaeth, it is grand
to see you again," said Agleca.
"Enter at your own risk and be
welcome within these walls."
Then Desdemona streaked
across the room, the floor
smoking in her wake, and
flung herself on Volac.
"MINE!" she squealed.
Shaeth's end of the link
went dead with the finality
of fine spirits burning off,
the last thing he could feel
from Volac a stunned joy.
"Congratulations," said Shaeth.
"I now pronounce you goddess
and follower. Volac, you take
good care of my daughter or
I will drown you in a barrel of
wine and then strangle you
with your own intestines."
"Yes, father of My Lady,"
Volac said happily. "I'm
sorry that it didn't work out
between us, though. I did
enjoy our time together, and
I tried -- but well, I suppose
it wasn't meant to be."
"In the end, worship can
never be a performance,
something you're pretending
or putting on," said Shaeth. "It's
got to be an overflow of your heart.
Worship is about getting personal with
your god, drawing close to your god.
Or in this case, your goddess."
"MINE!" Desdemona said again.
"Yes, My Lady," said Volac.
"Yours forever and ever, in
this world and all the rest."
Shaeth considered that
a good conclusions, and
went home to his own priest.
* * *
Notes:
"In the end, worship can never be a performance, something you're pretending or putting on. It's got to be an overflow of your heart...Worship is about getting personal with God, drawing close to God."
-- Matt Redman
(no subject)
Date: 2020-11-09 09:43 pm (UTC)Desdemonia is oddly cute in a rather demonic way... she's going to grow up to a fine Goddess of Evil I suspect, with her loyal First Follower..
Thoughts
Date: 2020-11-09 10:23 pm (UTC)That's the idea. :D
>> she's going to grow up to a fine Goddess of Evil I suspect, with her loyal First Follower.. <<
I think so too.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2020-11-09 10:54 pm (UTC)..annnd now I have a mental image of some Champion or Paladin of Good and Light, being dispatched to thwart the rise of the new Goddess of Evil... only to discover little Desdemonia and Volac...
He or She is going to be SO Conflicted!
Paladin. stares at the smol loli!evil child. "Aw.. screw it. they didn't say when she had to be thwarted, I'll let her rise for bit longer and come back in another eighteen years or so."
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2020-11-09 11:20 pm (UTC)That seems likely.
>> only to discover little Desdemonia and Volac...
He or She is going to be SO Conflicted! <<
LOL yes. No Paladin of Good is going to deal well with orders to smite a toddler.
>> Paladin. stares at the smol loli!evil child. "Aw.. screw it. they didn't say when she had to be thwarted, I'll let her rise for bit longer and come back in another eighteen years or so." <<
ROFL of course by then she'll be much too powerful to unseat. She's probably more than a match for one human paladin already, considering what she's done to the hapless biosphere around her.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-11-09 10:52 pm (UTC)Also, I feel good about the situation being resolved but sort of bad that there even HAS to be a diety of evil.
I have cutesy and happies and sads....ECR
Thoughts
Date: 2020-11-09 11:26 pm (UTC)Yay!
>> Also, I feel good about the situation being resolved but sort of bad that there even HAS to be a diety of evil. <<
There doesn't have to be a deity of evil. People choose to have one. Otherwise, it has no direction. Consider the difference between a firehose in the hands of a proper nozzle team and one flopping around at random. The same amount of water comes out the end, but the effects are not the same at all.
The nature of good and evil is a fascination of mine. Sapient beings typically contain a spark of both, and it is up to us which we choose to nourish. Without the right to make bad choices -- and sometimes, make different choices as Shaeth did -- there is no free will and not much of a life. To destroy evil completely is to deprive people of choice.
Also, as Volac demonstrated, worship must be a good match in order to be sincere. If good people get to enjoy a gratifying relationship with the divine, why should evil people be denied that? It won't make them less evil, just more miserable -- and they are the chief of all followers in "misery loves company."
>> I have cutesy and happies and sads....ECR <<
:D Then I wrote it right.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2020-11-10 01:07 am (UTC)"I'm going to destroy the multiverse because eeeevil!" isn't very helpful once the destruction bit is over.
"I'm going to take over the world because eeevil! is much more interesting, and with more detail and possible relatable motivations.
Possible motivations for taking o or the world:
- Are you Enraged by Idiocy, and trying to make everything efficient?
- Are you trying to save one group (persecuted minority) or everyone ('Imma take over the world and no-one will die of malnutrition again')?
- Are you out for revenge?
- Conquest, either for power (conquistadors wanting gold in South America) or out of some percieved moral duty (pretty much the motivation of the bad guy in Trolls World Tour - btw, she got better), or some combination thereof.
- Are you trying to become powerful enough that no-one can ever hurt you again, nevermind who you have to go through?
-Maybe it easier to go along with the plan than to fight it. Or you are loyal to a person/cause/idea tied in with the conquest plan. (Or maybe you literally cannot survive away from your group of would- be conquerors.)
- Maybe you dont think you'll achieve your dream, but you believe anything you can do would be better than what exists now, so if you're gonna die, you're gonna die marching towards your goal.
- Maybe you don't think you're hurting anyone, and they'll be /so happy/. (Ie the Boov from _Home_.)
- Or maybe you just want to burn stuff and have a huge throne of skulls, but honestly that seems kind of boring and overdone.
Also, if you must have thrones made from bones a) use nonhuman bones, at least sometimes, and b) add some scrimshaw carving or something.
And I'll just state for the record, that I do not want to take over the world. (A lot of hassle, too much work/paperwork, and too much dealingwith willfully ignorant people. )
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2020-11-10 10:32 am (UTC)I agree.
>> "I'm going to destroy the multiverse because eeeevil!" isn't very helpful once the destruction bit is over. <<
No shit. Many an evil overlord has wound up bored, alone and insane, or destroying themselves along with everything else.
>> "I'm going to take over the world because eeevil! is much more interesting, and with more detail and possible relatable motivations.<<
True.
>> - Are you Enraged by Idiocy, and trying to make everything efficient? <<
That's my evil warlord-wizard Kovid. And it started because people kept trampling his onions.
>> - Are you trying to save one group (persecuted minority) or everyone ('Imma take over the world and no-one will die of malnutrition again')? <<
That's Magneto.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2020-11-10 10:49 pm (UTC)But come to think of it, that would happen a lot with warfare...if the enemy's gonna frag you (or worse) while you're alone, you'd better stay with your squad, even if they're horrible people, because hopefully they'll be nicer than your enemies. (At least in theory.)
I'd actually like to see one where the disabled minion or kind space alien scientist smuggles someone out and flees with them, even knowing that they are going to die b/c the people they are running to dont have suitable food/exosuits/atmosphere/medical care...and they do this knowing they are going to die and feeling the sacrifice is worth it.
I've seen stories with the Heroic Sacrifice and Please Don't Leave Me tropes, but I don't think I've seen them used quite like that.
Usually it is a quick clean death: "I'm hurt, I'll hold them off while you run!" You don't have to Witness the person leaving over days and weeks, while wondering why they chose this and maybe feeling guilty or unworthy.
And I /still/ want to see a whalebone-and-such scrimshaw Ivory Throne.
(Hmmm...why do we never have tiny Fae using exoskeletons as building materials or decorations?)
Actually--
Date: 2020-11-09 11:16 pm (UTC)To put it simply: "MINE!"
Which makes a toddler the ideal avatar of a living deity.
It's a human parent's job to make sure they grow BEYOND it.
Re: Actually--
Date: 2020-11-09 11:33 pm (UTC)Exactly! The heart of all evil is wanting what you want and not caring who gets hurt in the process. Many toddlers embody this, although some have great compassion instead. Baby saints and lamas are just downright conspicuous.
>> To put it simply: "MINE!"
Which makes a toddler the ideal avatar of a living deity.<<
:D I think so too. But it doesn't end there. Consider the thoughtless cruelty of childhood and the downright viciousness of mean girls in adolescence. Desdemona will be enthusiastically driving other deities to tears for a long time to come.
>> It's a human parent's job to make sure they grow BEYOND it. <<
True.
Meanwhile, I think that Shaeth will happily teach his daughter the spells of mayhem that he no longer needs.
I also suspect that Desdemona will be a very different deity of evil than Shaeth was. Each individual is unique, in deities as in humans. Where Shaeth seemed to favor warfare, Desdemona has a stronger capacity for blight and her acquisitiveness may lead to meddling in politics.
It will be interesting to watch.
By all means prompt for more if you have ideas.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-11-10 01:32 am (UTC)Well ...
Date: 2020-11-10 01:52 am (UTC)