The Song of Argento

Blessed be.

Velumbound.

With your last breath

Of the midnight hour

Will you hear

This call

From my towers

Will you join my company

Going past

To a world

Of neverending pleasures

That will last forever

Where sensuous music

With wild voices

Will put your soul

At risk

With its seductive power

And make your Fate

Close its ivory gates.

No longer to lament

But be courageous.

To welcome me

In.

To pitch my tent

With my powers

Of enchantment and pleasure

As my kin

That will seem

Heaven sent.

To those that

Seek love

And intimate sin.

A contradiction

Of above and below.

For I know

When all lascivious

Tensions must go.

So shed your fears

As you

To me

Are led

The Golden Goddess

Of all Exiles.

To a place

Where purple butterflies

Fly to

Die.

Come to me.

Come to me.

(C) 

Copyright John Duffy

Initiation

 

(A lone voice whispers) 

Blessed be. 

Velumbound. 

Want to visit a surreal, ritualistic mental space after a life of emotional pain? 

Let us begin. 

I've lived more days in grief than can be remembered. 

                                

Walked the dark roads of a wounded heart each night.    

                                

As a lonely world numbed me. 

                                 

Lost all beautiful things I once treasured. 

Now cursed to see. 

By second sight. 

                              

I've prayed daily guided by the violent flame. 

                

Praying some God would hear my name. 

Looked down Fate's black barrel of the gun. 

Watched Father Time get up, laugh, and run. 

                                   

                                               

I've heard banshees cry over emotional battlefields. 

Without pleading. 

                                       

Heard the roar of Leviathan without yielding. 

                                  

                                                                     

And still in darkness and semi-light, 

I live. 

                                    

With all these poetic gifts. 

I give.        

                            

For these transmissions are like a portico to a secret place. 

                             

Surrounded by ghosts of the future and past.                                                               

                                       

Where you, the curious. 

Can find some sort of peace at last. 

For here in these wet words in your cerebral cortex. 

                     

You've entered my purple vortex. 

                                        

   

A fountain to drink from. 

To get drunk with all things once named. 

                                   

Only to return again. 

                  

To walk its alabaster halls.         

       

                                                                               

After you've been marked to receive its calls. 

                              

After the sun has died. 

For I know you've cried. 

                                        

                               

So stay awhile. 

                                   

Stumble and wonder through its fields of lore. 

                                   

Embrace this curse to walk on new sacred grounds. 

Revel in the pagan sounds. 

                                       

And then dance wildly in my underground streams. 

For now, by hearing this. 

Blessed be. 

I now have baptised you. 

From somewhere hidden. 

In The Great In-Between.         

                                   

(C) 

Copyright John Duffy  

Inferno

 An evocative poem which explores themes of projection, identity, and the destructive nature of human judgment.

Core Themes.

Projection vs. Reality:

 The line "I'm just a figment of your longing and desire" suggests the speaker was never truly seen for who they were.

 Instead, they were an idealized image created by the listener's own needs and imagination.

The Danger of Expectations: 

When we build someone up based entirely on our own longing, we set them up to fail. 

The human experience often involves mourning the gap between who we want someone to be and who they actually are.

Destructive Judgement:

 The phrase "burnt up in your judgemental fire" shows the consequence of breaking that illusion.

 When the real person fails to meet the idealized fantasy, the other person reacts with harsh criticism, destroying the connection entirely.

The Shift in Perspective.

The poem moves rapidly from a quiet revelation ("A lone voice whispers") to total devastation ("burnt up"). 

It highlights a common tragic cycle in human relationships: 

holding someone to an impossible standard, and then punishing them for being human.

(A lone voice whispers) 

You never really knew me

I'm just a figment of your longing and desire

Now burnt up 

In your judgemental fire

(C) 

Copyright John Duffy

X

 

The Red Schooner

 

The Red Schooner, is a melancholic song about lost love and the passage of time, using the metaphor of a ship sailing away.

Key Themes and Narrative:

The Departure: 

The singer describes a love that arrived late and departed on a "cherry red schooner", leaving behind feelings of coldness and regret.

The Loss: 

The song reflects on how the years have passed like a "restless sea", with the narrator feeling stranded on the shore of their memories.

The Longing: 

The Lingering Ghost:

The narrator admits to still "chasing her ghost" through broken plans and calling out into the night, hoping for a return that never comes. 

The song concludes with a sense of resignation, acknowledging that the love from long ago has sailed forever into the "dark" and "landless" sea, leaving the narrator to wonder where "lost hearts go".

Salute. 

Echoes from the night

(A lone voice whispers) 

Blessed be. 

Velumbound. 

Close your eyes. 

To everything else. 

Listen to this. 

In total silence. 

In semi-darkness. 

Can you hear. 

My sultry, tempting voice. 

As the only noise. 

Hear these magical words. 

You have no option now. 

There's no going back, 

Yumbarto. 

Kilgarruti. 

So its dulcet tones can run.

Their sinewy, hypnotic octaves. 

Up and down your now shivering spine. 

In waves. 

Yumbarto. 

Kilgarruti. 

Are those goose pimples. 

On your now-on-edge skin. 

Appearing. 

As your soul. 

Opens its front doors and gleefully. 

Beckons me. 

In. 

When these final words are found.

Yumbarto, 

Kilgarruti. 

Blessed be. 

Velumbound. 

(C) 

Copyright John Duffy

Are you awake

 

A poem reflecting on war, manipulation, and hidden power. 

It asks if people still follow leaders into conflict. 

It warns about secret groups who use illusions and rituals to start wars for their own gain. 

The author questions if society will notice these tricks or ignore them.

Key Themes.

The Cost of War:

Innocent families leave home and carry heavy loads while leaders stay safe.

Hidden Control: 

Dark groups use secret plans, magic symbols, and lies to guide society.

Mass Deception: 

People get tricked by loud speeches and fake promises.

A Call to Notice: 

The poem challenges readers to wake up and see the truth.

(A lone voice whispers) 

Do wide-eyed fools still sit or stand in strange lines, and watch as huge grey planes like in 39?

Set out at night carrying their children and their heavy backpacks off to war?

To satisfy those with incredible appetites who never fight?

The dark ones who travel in secret circles, of no rehearsals.

Using the power of blood and ritual magic, as their 

gleaming weapons of the supernatural.

Hidden inside pagan long wagons, where their kin are gathered?

Praying to the low Heavens with eyes rendered by heavy sin.

As angry eyes mourn for people to forget all tarnished resolutions.

As they concoct more convincing illusions.

From their deep depths of secretive retreats.

Underneath and beneath the surface of the world, which emboldens them as time gets older.

And their old lust for war, sung in podium songs, gets louder.

Making political deserts bloom in any room they stand up in.

As their dark waters erupt, so their seeds once sown can grow faster.

Within blinded-sided travellers with their occult sideshows.

Fools gaslit in the wilderness from the secret domains of future's darkness.

Where followers pray no one sees through or breaks their spells. 

No matter how much society yells?

Have you seen through their smokescreens yet? 

Or would you rather walk by and forget?

(C)

Copyright John Duffy 

T

 

Black Velum — Beyond the Veil. We Transmit.

There is a place between signal and silence… a threshold few notice, but many feel.

Black Velum exists in that space — the Great In-Between.

Here, music or words are not written. But received.

Every track is a transmission.

A fragment of something older, watching, waiting — whispering through static and shadow.

Melodies arrive like half-remembered dreams. 

Lyrics surface like messages not meant for everyone… only those attuned to hear them.

This is not just sound.

It’s contact.

From the unseen.

From the forgotten.

From whatever lingers just beyond the veil.

You don’t find Black Velum by accident.

You feel it calling.

And once you hear it…

you’ll never quite listen to silence the same way again.

Astral Dreams

 

A surreal, dreamlike journey through a dark, symbolic landscape populated by famous literary figures like Lord Byron, Carol Ann Duffy, and Edgar Allan Poe. 

Blending Gothic elements with themes of isolation, magical transformation, and a final, painful return to self-awareness and healing. 

Literary Allusions & Figures: 

Lord Byron & Carol Ann Duffy: Represent romantic grandeur mixed with contemporary, poignant observation. 

Edward Thomas & Gretel: 

A blend of a real-world war poet (Thomas) with a fairytale archetype (Gretel), staging a surreal wedding.

Louise Glück & Conrad Aiken: 

Figures of profound introspection and gothic haunting standing witness in the gloom.

Edgar Allan Poe & Robert Frost: 

Poe anchors the dark, gothic, raven-esque atmosphere, while Frost serves as a psychological alchemist, conjuring a storm of fear.

Themes: Isolation and Safety: 

The narrator seeks safety in numbers of literary ghosts while wandering a dark, astral forest. 

Surreal Transformation:

Fairy-tale innocence meets literary melancholy in candlelight.

Redemption: 

The storm leads back to a rose-petalled path, suggesting that true healing and self-discovery ("the one called Elkind") are found only through brokenness and deep introspection.

(A lone voice whispers) 

Lost in the Ballard of Reading 

In the Darkness 

With the narrating

Well dressed

Lord Byron

I found a distressed Carol Ann Duffy

Wandering

Lonely 

In the Dark

And in that Dark Forest

As we held hands 

For safety 

As we wandered

In that strange astral park

We found a candlelit clearing 

And watched as

Edward Thomas

Dressed in blue

Propose to the stunning Gretel 

Dressed in white

Ivory 

As we hid

Hiding 

In the Darkness 

Watching that surreal scene

Like a candlelit priory

Like how 

The marriage was overlooked 

By the beautiful smiling

Louise Glück

In that deep gulf

With The Vampire called Conrad Aiken

Who many had tried 

To put a stake in

Dressed in red and black

And The Raven 

Edgar Allan Poe

And as my favourite dream faded 

Before I could see Thomas and Gretel

Conjugated

As time flowed  

I came to be lost

Suspended and swept up 

In a Storm of Fear 

Conjured up by the alchemist and magician

Robert Frost

Only to find my way home

Walking the rose-petalled pathway

Only the broken can find

The one called Elkind

Etched and inscribed 

In the heartbroken blind

Recesses of the mind

(C) 

Copyright John Duffy

The Sacred Flames of Life

 

The Sacred Flames of Life

(A lone voice whispers)

Truth, Compassion, and Kindness compel Light to illuminate the darkest of corners.

Of any known day or night.

Even now in these theatres of Social Media 

But still Truth will always flow like a torrent upon an eternal journey.

Kindness and Compassion closely following in its shallow wake.

The Sacred Flames of Life speak loudly of their presence.

In Truth, it may sometimes seem like a silent Fight.

In Kindness, you may have your doubters.

In Compassion, you may receive no sympathy.

But with a clarity and majesty, always be true to yourself.

For it’s a sacred truth and a blessing.

To sometimes separate oneself from the bustling crowd.

For those who blindly follow and wallow. 

Might never leave the circle.

Always moving, but willingly submerged beneath the surface.

Sunken in a crystalline silence, as their inner voice is forever searching for speech. 

But will lie in sad isolation.

Forever probing but never finding Freedom's Road. 

To truly speak.

But the magic for those like maybe you. 

Who are never traded, waylaid or willingly imprisoned.

Courageous souls who choose to be free and not weak.

Resourceful people in Life. 

Who always try to rise when seemingly beaten.

Those whose head refuses to accept confinement or defeat.

The World and all her wonders are theirs to be claimed. 

When found.

Never searching in silence, but with a crescendo of noise and gusto.

For all they touch turns eventually into happiness. 

Through faith and conviction.

Everywhere they go.

Even though they may be hurting.

For a soul which has borne pain and risen once again. 

Is always strengthened tenfold.

So precious and imbued with such a rare beauty.

Never to be beaten, assimilated into the masses. 

But to be one of those rare souls with an indomitable will.

The World is waiting for your voice.

So go and shine as you must.

Don’t let your dreams turn to dust!

For The Sacred Flames of Life

Truth, Compassion, and Kindness call to compel you 

To use its Light to illuminate the darkest of corners.

Of any known day or night.

(C) 

Copyright John Duffy

 

The Sacred Hollow

 

Blessed be.

Velumbound.

Do you need some inspiration?

Let us begin with a transmission from The 

The Sacred Hollow.

Have you been subtly conditioned from birth to overlook your true potential? 

Here on Earth? 

But does a lone voice sometimes whisper?

Whether in sleep or in daylight? 

Open your tired eyes wide and reach for the stars. 

My child. 

See how far you can go. 

Cast off the chains of conditioning. 

That appeared as you grew older. 

Be courageous and break free from what you’ve been told. 

Go wild and mould a new mindset 

Before you become set in your ways or too old. 

Set an example for future generations to follow. 

Before your spirit returns to us. 

In The Sacred Hollow. 

(C) 

Copyright John Duffy

Redemption

(A lone voice whispers) 

Haunted by demons

Judged by the religious

I walk the path of the righteous

For God doesn't just treasure those loyal churchgoers

He really seeks those broken 

Words reflecting a powerful theme of redemption. 

Showing a struggle between human judgment and divine grace. 

Suggesting that true faith lives in the broken and the seeking, not in the flawless.

For when the religious crowd judges you. They rely on outer rules and clean facades.

For they miss the inner battle and inner Demons.

As you carry past scars and deep struggles. 

Feeling haunted by mistakes or doubts

But still courageously try to walk the Path of the Righteous.

Still trying to do what is right. Walking forward despite the pain.

For with Divine Grace. 

God values the broken heart. 

He wants those searching for healing over those who think they are already whole.

Overcome by Pride. 

For pretending to be perfect blocks true growth. 

And admitting your flaws opens the door to grace.

For overcoming Shame. Demons lose their power when brought into the light.

 Seeking salvation is an act of courage, not weakness.

For true Righteousness is not a badge of honour.

 It is a daily choice to turn toward God while broken.

Blessed be.

(C)

Copyright John Duffy

The man in black

 

One for my visitors

 

Are you ready

 

Don't miss me...

 

Remember me

 

The Spirit Guide

 

(A lone voice whispers) 

I’m the low whisper

Heard so faintly

In the frequencies

In-between

I move through winds of change

In your metamorphosis

Callin’ you back from sin

If you just let me in

Singin’ love songs softly

Helpin’ hearts to mend

Guidin’ lonely lovers

Back to where they began

I’m the ocean

You can swim in

The warmth when you feel cold

Though I walk in silent spaces

I’m stronger than you know

I’m your spirit guide

Walkin’ right by your side

Through the dark and the light

I’ll be there every night

I’m your spirit guide

Though you can’t see my face

When you call out in prayer

I’ll be there

In that place

I’m the strength you carry

Like steel deep in your soul

A midnight sky that’s shining

A treasure you can hold

I’m the smile on your lips

That shiver down your spine

That gentle touch you feel

When love comes right on time

In every tear you’ve cried

There’s a blessing close behind

A voice that never sleeps

Always right on time

 

I’m your spirit guide

Walkin’ every road you take

Through your fears and your faith

Through every heart that breaks

I’m your spirit guide…

In the silence I remain

Every whisper you hear

Callin’ out your name

Ohhh

When you’re dreamin’

I’m the river flowin’ through

Plantin’ seeds

Helpin’ you become you

A purple flower growin’

In your life’s stream

Followin’ you

Through every dream

I’m your spirit guide

Through the wild and the calm

On the tides of your life

Keep on holdin’ on

I’m your spirit guide

Sent from up above

Every step that you take

You’re surrounded by love

Though you may not see me

I’m always close by

A secret friend

From up high

And someday

We will meet

‘Cause I’m your eternal…

Spirit guide

(C) 

Copyright John Duffy

The Ghost of Love

 

(A lone voice whispers) 

I may be a memory... Of Christmases past..

Of wonderful times... That still linger...

And still last...

I may be... A beautiful lost sonnet...

Echoing in the distance...

Making a quiet noise...

Across fields..

Of forgotten golden dreams...

An extraordinary love song...

You may still hear...

Above the nightly screams...

I may be...

A low whisper...

Speaking comforting...

Illuminating truths...

Within your beloved mind...

A treasured memory...

You still revisit...

Maybe...

All the time...

I may be all these things...

And so many..

Many more...

But even though...

I'm not standing beside you...

Anymore...

Just remember...

It's you...

Only you...

I'll always adore...

All my treasured memories...

May feel painful...

As they come rushing through...

Those familiar doors...

Yet when the tears arrive...

And old shadows gather..

Know that I am near...

Waiting beside the unopened rooms...

Your heart still fears to enter...

A light beyond the doorway...

A hand within the darkness...

A gentle voice...

Among the silence...

And when forgotten emotions...

Rise from the depths...

Like waves upon a moonlit shore...

I shall walk beside you...

Through every hidden corridor...

Every trembling memory...

Every sacred wound...

For I am not truly gone...

I have simply learned...

How to watch over you...

From here...

And whenever you remember me...

Look beyond your sorrow...

And listen...

For my love still lingers...

In the quiet spaces between worlds...

(C) 

Copyright John Duffy

The Blue Apocalypse

A whisper from a soul trapped in a cold, lonely purgatory.

Conjured from someone burning with fire in the falling rain and snow. 

Someone trapped between pain and numbness, fighting a blue apocalypse while an empty void tells them not to feel.

(A lone voice whispers) 

Sometimes…

These ripples…

Of purgatory fire…

Still burning…

After I died…

Sometimes blowing out

These ripples of purgatory fire

That burn deep inside

Like a raging inferno

Before I died

The suffering…

Of standing here alone

In this ever-falling

Soul-purging rain

Compelled to think

By forces unknown

I remember…

A long-forgotten name

Echo waves from yesterday

Wrapped in pleasure, wrapped in pain

Still I’m forced…

To remain…

Burning in the rain

Fire in my veins

Heaven feels so far away

Still I rise through the pain

I’m burning in the falling rain and snow

Trying to heal what I don’t know

This blue apocalypse feels so real

But the void keeps telling me… don’t feel

(C) 

Copyright John Duffy

Are you still here?

 

You never will ever know me. 

For I'm beyond anything you've ever felt or seen. 

Just writing strange stories from the Great In-Between. 

Does this resonate? 

The words just flowed for you to absorb. 

Maybe I am writing about you as I feel you. 

(A lone voice whispers) 

Mmm… yeah…

Blessed be. 

Velumbound

Oh…

You are my book of revelations

Every page, a divine creation

My alpha… my omega

My rebirth through every weather

You’re the rhythm in my heartbeat

Soft and sacred when you hold me

Life and death inside your eyes

Heaven wrapped in your sighs

And if you walk away from me…

Oh, what would I be?

If your faith in me is gone…

Tell me how do I go on?

 

You’re my hoooope… and my jooooy

My night… and my daaaay

Don’t you ever drift away

You’re my liiight… when I’m loooost

The only truth I can’t deny

You’re my reason why

Oh stay… stay… don’t fade away

You’re the song my soul can’t destroy

My hope… my joy… 

If you leave, I’d be in shadows

Dancing with my broken echoes

Every prayer would sound your name

Every tear would fall the same

You’re the fire in my silence

Calm within my storm of violence

Only you have ever known

The child inside I’ve never shown

So if in me you don’t believe…

That’s all I’d ever need

To fall apart, to lose my way…

Don’t let love just fade to grey…

You’re my hoooope… and my jooooy

My night… and my daaaay

Don’t you ever drift away

 You’re my liiight… when I’m loooost

The only truth I can’t deny

You’re my reason why

Oh stay… stay… don’t fade away

You’re the song my soul can’t destroy

My hope… my joy…

(Oh baby…)

You’re the one…

Playing chords straight through my heart…

(Yeah…)

You loved the soul inside of me…

Set that little soul free…

Don’t you know… don’t you know…

You’re everything…

You’re my hoooope… and my jooooy

My night… my day…

Don’t you ever walk away

You’re my liiight… when I’m loooost

My truth… my flame…

Calling out your name…

Stay… stay… right here with me

You’re the only love I can’t destroy

My hope… my joy… 

(My hope… my joy…)

Don’t leave me…

(You’re my night… my day…)

Stay… yeah…

(I bet you couldn't stop reading. You do know I... Well, I'll leave it there.) 

(C) 

Copyright John Duffy

The Shadow Queen

 

(A lone voice whispers) 

Have you felt the cold fingertips of grief press softly around your throat? 

As love drowned in its black moat. 

Ten esperanza.

Volverás a levantarte.

Have hope. 

You will rise again

(C) 

Copyright John Duffy

Are you Sleepless in Paradise?

(A lone voice whispers) 

Did you once know Love and stayed briefly, within its shadowy Red Keep? 

Sated beyond belief but now separated and unmated.

Can you no longer enter.

For you no longer sleep?  

(C) 

Copyright John Duffy

The White Light

 

The White Light (feat. John Duffy) is a spiritual and atmospheric musical composition centered on themes of renewal, purification, and divine connection.

Key themes and progression:

Invocation and Renewal:

 The song begins with an invocation of light and strength in the name of the Almighty, transitioning into imagery of being "reborn" through sacrifice and sacred power.

Spiritual Cleansing:

The lyrics call upon Archangel Michael to use his flame to bathe the listener in "pure white light," breaking invisible chains and clearing the path for freedom.

Removal of Negativity:

 A significant portion is dedicated to removing dark energies and unseen forces, returning them to the "ether".

Divine Guidance: 

The song invokes Archangel Gabriel to bring the "violet flame" and absolution, fostering healing and a renewed future.

Final Affirmation: 

The piece concludes with a message of rising again and personal expression, ending with the solemn declaration "Amen".

Heavens Great Gate

 

Heavens Great Gate (feat. Clinton R. Johnson & Darren Curtis) is a reflective piece on life, legacy, and the importance of living authentically. 

The song encourages listeners to consider the impact of their choices before their time comes to an end.

Key themes include:

Reflection and Achievement: 

The lyrics urge listeners to look back on their lives and ask if they found peace, spread kindness, and shared their "divine light" with others.

Urgency of the Present:

 It emphasises that it is not too late to make positive changes, build friendships, and enjoy life while still "within life's great gate".

Authenticity: 

The song speaks to the importance of moving past fear and social masks to express one's true self, encouraging the listener to stop living in the mundane and instead "step into the light" to be free.

Throughout the video, the message remains consistent: 

Life is a "transitory thing," and it is essential to pursue one's dreams and act with love and purpose before the "great bell" chimes. 

Desire

 

"Desire. From St Petersburg with Love" by JD featuring Valerie Warntz from St Petersburg is an atmospheric musical piece. 

The song explores themes of intimacy, connection, and patience within a relationship.

Key themes and lyrics include:

Relationship dynamics:

 The lyrics focus on the duality of being "a friend" and "a lover".

Patience: 

The artist emphasises that there is "no need to rush" and encourages the listener to "take a rest" and "take your time".

Emotional depth: 

The song touches on deeper, more melancholic sentiments regarding love and loss

Intimacy: 

The song concludes with a focus on shared moments, repeating imagery of being "under covers" together. 

Written and produced by John Duffy and Valerie Warntz. 

Hopefully she's safe, somewhere in St Petersburg. 

A song of freedom

 "A Song of Freedom" by JD (feat. Tere Arce) is a message-driven song calling for global unity and human liberation.

 The lyrics emphasise the following themes:

Opposition to Corruption: 

The song speaks out against "corrupted corporate greed" and manipulative tactics like "false flags" used to control populations.

The Call for Unity: A central message is that "people of the world" must stand together to pursue justice, truth, and freedom.

Commitment to Values:

 The artists encourage listeners to maintain integrity and work toward a future characterised by harmony, peace, and the protection of nature.

Persistence: 

The refrain "Keep standing, keep marching, and keep believing" serves as a call to persevere in the pursuit of a world "bereft of wars".

Written by John Duffy. Performed by Tere Arce. From the United States. 

The artist, JD. Is John Duffy. 

Is this Bob Dylan's story?

 

"The Guitar Man" (feat. Steve Altham) is a song that explores themes of a musician's life, fame, and storytelling through travel and performance. 

And a deal he made with the chief commander. 

It's based on Bob Dylan's famous YouTube interview where he discusses a deal he made. 

With someone who controls this world and the next. 

Alluding to a supernatural pact. 

Is that why he has to stay on tour? 

Could the day he stops singing be his last? 

Watch the interview on YouTube, then listen to the lyrics. 

Just google.. Bob Dylan. Chief Commander. 

Written and produced by John Duffy and Steve Altham. 

Glorious Love

 Originally, the lyrics were pitched to Guy Chambers, who created Angels for Robbie Williams. 

A backing singer for Robbie Williams' tracks created by Guy Chambers, replied. 

Guy's on tour with Robbie Williams. I love the lyrics. 

Why don't you produce it? 

Well, here it is. 

Do you believe in angels?

 

Creativity

 

This short verse serves as an artistic manifesto for a writer who navigates the boundary between the physical world and the supernatural. 

The phrase "mystical landscapes of happiness and dread" highlights a refusal to write flat, one-dimensional worlds.

 It shows a commitment to exploring the full spectrum of human emotion—combining light and dark, comfort and terror. 

With a defiance of Categorisation. 

"Don't tarnish me with labels" acts as a strong rejection of rigid literary genres. 

 The author resists being neatly boxed into standard categories like "horror," "fantasy," or "gothic.

But as a Spiritual Conduit. 

 Writing for those who cannot speak, "because I whisper for the dead," elevates the work from mere entertainment to an act of spiritual or historical remembrance.

 It implies the writer acts as a medium or a voice for forgotten souls and untold histories.

It has a tone and style flowing with rhythmic cadence. 

For the lines carry a distinct, poetic rhythm that mirrors a chant or an incantation, matching the mystical subject matter. 

Reflecting a strange, gothic, and ethereal theme. 

 The vocabulary balances heavy, sombre concepts ("dread," "dead," "tarnish") with expansive, imaginative phrasing ("strange new realms," "mystical landscapes").

The defiant Voice is intensely personal, proud, and protective of artistic freedom.

For as writers of strange new realms. 

We will always have those who judge, as they wallow knee-deep. 

In their own dark sludge. 

Shall we begin? 

(A lone voice whispers) 

As I guide you through mystical landscapes of happiness and dread. 

Don't tarnish me with labels because I whisper for the dead. 

(C) 

Copyright John Duffy

2027

 

Are you still here? 

Curious about my new project for 2027? 

Let us begin. 

(A lone voice whispers) 

Blessed be. 

Velumbound. 

One day, these transmissions will be filmed with others. 

Why? 

Well, here is Black 

Velum Productions

Manifesto. 

We do not create entertainment. 

We create transmissions.

Black Velum Productions exists for those who have wandered through grief, longing, memory, mystery, and transformation.

And discovered that the darkness was never empty.

 It was speaking.

Our work explores the unseen territories between life and death, dreams and waking, faith and doubt, love and loss. 

We call this place The Great In-Between.

Every production is an invitation to cross its threshold.

We reject the idea that theatre, music, and film must merely tell stories.

 Instead, we build immersive experiences that feel like forgotten memories, whispered confessions, strange dreams, and sacred rituals. 

The audience, you. 

Is not simply watching. 

They are participating in an emotional journey.

Our recurring themes will include:

Mortality without despair.

Love that survives absence.

Memory as a living landscape.

Mythology reborn for the modern age.

The occult as symbolism rather than spectacle.

Redemption found through confronting one's own shadows.

Beauty hidden within melancholy.

Hope discovered beyond the veil.

For Black Velum refuses to separate poetry from cinema, music from theatre, or philosophy from storytelling. 

We dissolve those boundaries until every production becomes its own living mythology.

Our worlds are populated by witnesses, forgotten souls, wanderers, guardians, and voices that speak from impossible places.

 They do not demand belief.

They ask only that you listen.

We are not interested in shock for its own sake.

 We seek resonance. 

We want audiences to leave carrying questions instead of answers, silence instead of noise, and wonder instead of certainty.

Conventional production companies often chase trends.

We pursue timelessness.

Where others build franchises, we build folklore.

Where others seek applause, we seek remembrance.

If our audience leaves feeling as though they have returned from somewhere they cannot fully explain.

Somewhere strangely familiar.

Then we have succeeded.

As they leave. 

Blessed be. Velumbound.

Black Velum Productions. 

Beyond the Veil, We Transmit.

For there can be no darkness without light. 

No matter what you believe. 

(C) 

Copyright John Duffy

Do you have consecrated dreams?

 

Did your first moment of total bewitchery feel like a sudden shadow falling across the heart?

Where love takes root in the dark and stays forever?

Did your first sweet taste feel like a shadow?

Hiding behind the crimson tree, unseen and quiet?

And do you still remember its climb? 

An invisible ghost moving slowly to then reside deep inside to be part of your soul?

Because you were changed, to be a vampire forever?

A life turned over in one single night.

By a new thirst and haunting?

Cursed to carry that first dark mystery all the way into your old age. 

No matter how many new or old necks you taste? 

(A lone voice whispers) 

Blessed be. 

Velumbound. 

Do you have consecrated dreams? 

Let's begin. 

Can you remember your first moment of total bewitchery? 

When Love climbed like an invisible ghost, right into the very deep depths of you? 

From dark shadows hidden behind Aphrodite's crimson tree.

Because your life changed forever that night with its first delivery.

To be haunted into old age with your first taste of its dark mysteries? 

(C) 

Copyright John Duffy

November Memories

 

"November Memories" by John Duffy is a poignant exploration of nostalgia, using fiery imagery to depict the painful yet comforting process of reliving memories to feel close to a lost loved one. 

The poem, which features a rhythmic, song-like structure, highlights a paradoxical longing for the past, where the speaker embraces the suffering of memory to feel the presence of the departed once more

(A lone voice whispers) 

Blessed be

Velumbound

Like a fire

Burning deep inside

Running wild

Like a child

On Bonfire Night

I no longer fight

But go real close

To embrace

My old ghosts

Burning

On Memory Lane

Causing me pain

But I love it

Love it

Love it

For you live again

Again

I love how it feels

Even though

It's unreal

I can feel it

Calling me home

Into the flames

I've always known

Like a fire

Burning deep inside

Running wild

Like a child

On Bonfire Night

I no longer fight

I hold the flame

I speak your name

You live again

Again

But go real close

To embrace

My old ghosts

Burning

On Memory Lane

Causing me pain

But I love it

Love it

Love it

For you live again

Again

I love how it feels

Even though

It's unreal

And causes me

So much pain

Though it's unreal

I still believe

Every burning memory

Brings you back

To me

Like a fire

Burning deep inside

Running wild

Like a child

On Bonfire Night

I no longer fight

I hold the flame

I speak your name

You live again

Again

Like a fire

Burning deep inside

Love it

Love it

Though it hurts

You live

Again

(C) 

Copyright John Duffy

Jah knows me

Jah knows me" is an introspective song about self-discovery, identity, and inner spirituality. 

The lyrics emphasize that one's true essence transcends physical appearance, body, or social labels.

Press play is you agree. 

The Sword of Christ

"The Sword of Christ" is a song that delivers a message regarding judgment and accountability.

The lyrics focus on themes of divine retribution, suggesting a time is coming when those who have acted against their conscience or participated in corruption will face consequences.

Need a lift?

"Oh He Comes" is a musical track featuring a blend of rhythmic, percussive elements and vocal themes centered on themes of healing, movement, and spiritual arrival.

Press play. 

Want something to listen to?

 The Wedding Vows is a poetic and lyrical composition centered on the themes of eternal love, spiritual connection, and the nature of commitment. 

Throughout the song, the lyrics challenge traditional symbols of marriage—like a simple gold ring—in favor of a deeper, soul-level unification. 

Press play. 

1

 

A hauntingly beautiful text that reads like a profound psychological and spiritual transition.

Moving away from the clinical weight of analysis and toward emotional liberation.

Stopping the endless loop of trying to figure out "why" something happened. 

Absolution means forgiveness and a clean slate.

The Fading Mind:

 "Memories float away" suggests that the sharp, painful details of the past are losing their grip. 

They are no longer heavy anchors.

The Lantern Metaphor:

New Year's Eve lanterns carry away old wishes and regrets. 

They burn brightly, look beautiful, and then vanish into the dark.

Where memories are being transformed into something beautiful but distant.

The Act of Letting Go.

 The Shift in Power:

"A lone voice whispers" suggests an internal, solitary breakthrough. 

It does not require validation from anyone else.

Unconditional Release:

"I say a silent prayer as you are released."

Is this the ultimate form of closure? 

Wishing well to the person or past version of yourself that caused pain, sending them away with peace instead of malice?

The Unknown Future:

"Somewhere" acknowledges that you no longer need to know where they are, what they are doing, or how they feel.

You have completely unhooked your identity from their story.

Title. 

Have you undergone absolution? 

(A lone voice whispers) 

"As my memories float away like New Year's Eve lanterns. 

I say a silent prayer as you are released, somewhere."

(C) 

Copyright John Duffy