Paris Cliché

(Josie Sayz: This kind of just came to me. Some of the rhymes took a while to put together, so it may not flow as well as it could have. Also, some of the rhythm can be a little different here-and-there and the trochee/iambic pentameter may appear a little off in places, but it is intentional.)

A story starts: Once upon a time,
If I said it was ours, I’d be telling a lie.
It starts on the streets of Paris.
I am no cliché, because there’s no one beside me.
My heart does not belong to a man’s.
There is no one beside me, holding my hands.
It does not come down to chance,
That I’m alone on the streets of France.

No horizontal stripes placed upon me,
And the Eiffel Tower’s just something to see.
I won’t even wear my beret,
Walking alone along Champs-Élysées.
Oh, I will not obey,
To following Paris cliché.

I knew you once, way back when,
Ends were beginnings and beginnings were ends.
There’ll be no bread breaking to dine;
I’m sat alone, but I won’t try the wine.
Oh, how we’d have fooled them all,
The assumptions they’d come to, the names they would call.
There’ll be no wishes on stars,
Or placing padlocks upon Pont des Arts.

No fashionable dress upon me,
Amour pour toujour – it means nothing to me.
I won’t waste the day away,
Perched outside a French café.
Now, please, don’t delay,
To abolish the Paris cliché.

Oh, how I want it to go away,
The feeling of Paris cliché.

- Josie -

#8 Never Loved You

(Josie Sayz: This is the eighth poem from my ‘Rollercoaster Rainbow’ anthology.)

Don’t close your eyes,
To where everything is black and white.
Don’t close your eyes,
I just wanna make everything alright.
Don’t leave me now,
When I am most vulnerable.
You tell me you love me,
But change is inevitable.
Sometimes it’s like we’re seeing eye-to-eye,
But now it’s like you’ve made an alternate 1985.
I say we,
But you say I.
I say ours,
But you say mine.
What’s a girl
Supposed to do?
Made me feel
That I belong.
Now I’m all alone
Writing this song.
Almost got me wishing that I
Never loved you.
You’ve made me feel
So lost and confused.
You change your mind so easily,
I don’t know what to do.
Don’t waste your breath,
Trying to pretend everything’s alright.
Don’t close your eyes,
‘Cause I don’t wanna say goodnight.
Sometimes it’s like we’re seeing eye-to-eye,
But now it’s like you’ve made an alternate 1985.
I say we,
But you say I.
I say ours,
But you say mine.
What’s a girl
Supposed to do?
Made me feel
That I belong.
Now I’m all alone
Writing this song.
Almost got me wishing that I
Never loved you.
Never loved you.
Never loved you.
Sometimes wish that I
Never loved you.
Never loved you.
Never loved you.
Please note that I’ll be okay,
If we both go separate ways.
Although I wish you’d just asked me to stay
For the night.

- Josie -

Moss the Hedgehog

(Josie Sayz: The idea for this drawing came a while ago. I had been playing a lot of ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ games and had been watching the ‘Sonic X’ TV series when an idea popped into my head. I think it was back in 2013-2014 when I had a random idea to draw my own character from the ‘Sonic’ universe. That is when I came up with the character Moss the Hedgehog. She has her own backstory too and her own abilities and things. I have finally finished the digital colouring version of her. The first image is the original drawing that I did back in 2013-4, the second image is me using coloured pencils to colour her in and the third image is the digital version that I have just completed. Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with the 'Sonic the Hedgehog' franchise, its characters or any events that are related to my creative piece.)

- Josie -

Your Friend In Time

(Josie Sayz: This is a follow up to my post ‘Outta Time’ (if you missed ‘Outta Time’ you can find it here: https://josiesayz.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/outta-time.html). I’m not 100% sure on it, but I am content with it at the moment. I apologise for any American history inaccuracies – not my expertise, sorry. Disclaimer: I do not own ‘Back to the Future’, its characters or the film events that are mentioned in my creative piece.)

November 5^th, 2015

Dear Marty,

I know it’s been a while – too long, in fact, but I’ve finally found it in me to leave you a message. Believe me, Marty, isolating myself from you for all these years has been tough – I daresay, one of the toughest decisions that I have ever had to make my whole life. I hope that you understand why I had to do this, Marty; it was for your own safety. I had feared that the perpetual time travel which you experienced might lead to later psychological dysfunctions. I did not want you transfixed on the changes that we had made or on changing the past. I did not want you to become reliant upon changing the outcome of past or future events. Also, I felt that seeing me may resurface too many unpleasant memories.

That does not mean that I have forgotten about you, Marty. As every day goes by, I think of you and Jennifer and the life that the two of you now lead. I know that I shouldn’t, but on occasion, whilst time travelling, I often stop by and see how you are doing. A rock star, ‘ey, Marty? It’s just as I always told you: If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything. You have two wonderful kids, Marty. Many a time I have stopped by Hill Valley High and caught a glimpse of Marty Junior and Marlene. Junior is the spitting image of you, although you may need to help him out with the girls – there’s this red-head that he’s been having trouble talking to; he almost reminds me of your pop. Marlene’s a hard working student, straight A’s from what I can tell. You and Jennifer must be so proud.

Since we last met you must be, good gracious, forty-seven? Great Scott! I just realised the significance of this date! Is it really 2015 already? Where has the time gone? Strange, not at all like it was on our previous encounter. I’m sat in downtown Hill Valley, at the ‘Café 80s’ (nicely done-out by the way) but nothing is as I remember it. What happened to the flying cars, the cyborgs, self-altering clothing, barcode licence plates, Mr. Fusion-powered automobiles and those hoverboards that you were so fond of? The hover conversion! It would never have happened?! And what about my body alterations that I undertook at the rejuvenation clinic during my earlier visit to the twenty-first century? I added thirty to forty years onto my life, replaced my spleen and colon and what about my blood alteration? If that no longer exists, what will become of me now?

Great Scott! Marty, what have we done? I know that by traveling the courses of time, we accidentally changed parts of mine, yours and your parents’ future, but I didn’t think we had unsettled the space time continuum so vastly. Okay, okay, I need to take into account all of the people whose lives we may have altered. It wouldn’t have been you, no offence Marty, but the old you from the alternate 2015 was a slacker (I’m sure Mr. Strickland would agree) and would never have come up with the ingenuity of such creations as the ones that we encountered thirty years ago. And it wasn’t Jennifer’s doing. Going back in time further should not have interfered with your parents’ or your brother and sister’s careers (none of them appeared to hold any interest in the sciences, apart from your pop, but he was more into the science-fiction than actual construction. Nevertheless, our return to 1955 should not have altered your father’s career choice). Unless you severely interacted with anyone when we returned to 1955 to steal the almanac back from Biff and – Great Scott, it couldn’t have been Biff whom created all those things, could it? No, no, no, no, no! It couldn’t be Biff; we stopped him from making money and he’s too incompetent to create such things – just think of the amount of times he had your pop write his reports or do his homework. That only leaves… oh no, oh dear… it can’t be. It can’t be; it just can’t – can it? Could it be me? Am I the one to blame? Am I the one who invented all those amazing things? Now without me – Great Scott, this is heavy (as you would say). I am sorry future; maybe I should never have abandoned you. Oh Marty, how stupid I have been. For a man of science, I just gave up on the projects, the discovery, the new creations… I can tell you everything from the past. I can tell you every inch of the American Revolution, all the secrets that they don’t want you to know about the Civil War and the secret campaign behind the election of George Washington. I was even there to witness the signing of the Declaration of Independence! But how I have missed modern technology – well it is probably ancient technology to you today. The simple everyday items, like cornflakes, instant coffee, pop-up toasters, stainless steel and good-quality cotton underwear are all things that I have been without until their creation or have invented myself. Oh what a waste that now feels, inventing something that has already been invented. Yes, I may have done it better, but what a waste of my time, of my talents. With your modern resources and my scholarly knowledge, I could have invented so much more. Why, I could have invented a flying car. I should have invented the flying car – and more.

Oh Marty, I feel as though I have let you down greatly. Not only you, but I have let the future down as well. As a scientist, I should not have allowed my own personal gain to interfere with the space time continuum. I am married to my work. I should have thought with my head. Something that has worried me far too frequently Marty, by going back in time, settling down with Clara and having children, because I was born in the future, that makes Jules and Vern older than me. Clara gave birth to our eldest in 1886, yet I was not born until 1920. Oh Marty, sometimes I feel like I have made a terrible mistake. What sort of scientist alters history, like this? What sort of scientist alters the future, like this? What have I done?

Clara is the love of my life. I know that I would never have found love and settled down, like I did, had I continued to live in your present day. She means everything to me, Marty. She is object of my affection, the light of my life, the apple of my eye. And our children, Marty – Jules and Vern, they are my world. Jules has taken after his old man. He now runs my Blacksmith’s shop and has even taken an interest in inventing and little Vern has become the town sheriff. Clara and I couldn’t be more proud. We are both doing well too. We have long retired and are enjoying the quiet life of relaxation in 1915 – time travelling whenever the opportunity arises.

I do miss you, Marty. You are a big part of my life and still hold a special place in my heart. I hope that you can find it in yourself to forgive me.

Your friend in time,

‘Doc’ Emmett L. Brown

November 5^th, 1915

- Josie -

#7 Pathetic Fallacy

(Josie Sayz: This is the seventh instalment of my ‘Rollercoaster Rainbow’ anthology. It was inspired by a day where the weather reflected the events/my mood.)

The sun comes out
And I know that you are driving my way.
I just know that
We’re gonna have a perfect day.
But when you drive me home
The clouds come out to play.
Once I’m left all alone,
Out comes the pouring rain.
The sun shines
When you’re with me.
Then the rain pours
When you’re missing.
It’s stormy,
When we’re fighting.
Snow falls,
When I’m alone frightened.
My life is like
Pathetic fallacy.
It’s like I’m living in
My own movie.
Lightning strikes
Whenever we don’t agree.
Thunder is on cue
Every time you make me angry.
And it’s cold and grey,
When I haven’t seen you for days.
I get lost and confused,
Like I’m trapped inside a maze.
The sun shines
When you’re with me.
Then the rain pours
When you’re missing.
It’s stormy,
When we’re fighting.
Snow falls,
When I’m alone frightened.
My life is like
Pathetic fallacy.
It’s like I’m living in
My own movie.
No one would believe me
Even if I tried
To write my own story;
They’d all think I’d made it up and lied.
The sun shines
When you’re with me.
Then the rain pours
When you’re missing.
It’s stormy,
When we’re fighting.
Snow falls,
When I’m alone frightened.
My life is like
Pathetic fallacy.
It’s like I’m living in
My own movie.
My own movie.
It’s pathetic fallacy.

- Josie -