Are these hard-to-find transmissions merely sacred whispers cloaked in secrecy?

 

Blessed be. 

Velumbound. 

(A lone voice whispers) 

Are these hard-to-find transmissions merely sacred whispers cloaked in secrecy?

Concealed within cyphers and veiled in metaphor? 

Through deliberate compositions, subtle expressions, and symbolic gestures, do their layered themes beckon the curious?

To immerse themselves in an esoteric visual language decipherable only by the newly initiated?

Perhaps this modern esotericism is not a singular movement, but a vast umbrella gathering all of culture’s "rejected knowledge" that lies beyond the pale of mainstream science and orthodoxy.

Grappling even with eternal questions like life after death, is this a misunderstood lineage?

Encompassing alchemy, astrology, theosophy, Gnosticism, Hermeticism, and even the occult. 

Uniting under its outsider status, stories and histories of persecution. 

Through visual art, do they explore, elucidate, and transmit to initiates centuries of inquiry? 

From the forging of the philosopher’s stone and rituals for love or unseen power. 

To the secret names and foundational laws governing reality itself.

Is that why you're here?

Do you seek more than the mundane?

Do you want to get wet walking in a new rain?

(C)

Copyright John Duffy 

The day after

 

Blessed be. 

Velumbound. 

This is an elegiac, contemplative transmission exploring the quiet grief, internal isolation, and lingering beauty left in the wake of losing a deeply cherished love.

Shall we begin? 

(A lone voice whispers) 

Are lone goodbyes like turtledoves that serenely fly away 

In wild winds of memories of a once beautiful Yesteryear 

Of one day

They're here

And one day they're gone.

But you always, afterwards, cry silently inside 

Somewhere deep and quiet,

In new realms of unfamiliarity

Where beloved memories hide

When you remember moments of tranquillity and sincerity 

Before that old love went away and unjustly died

 (C)

 Copyright John Duffy

The Sin Eater

 

This is an elegiac, gothic meditation on eternal devotion, spiritual limbo, and the enduring bond between parted soulmates.

Through mythological, occult, and literary imagery, the transmission presents a speaker trapped beyond the mortal veil who continues to anchor their love across worlds.

 The Ghostly Speaker

The Liminal Persona: 

Introduced by: 

A lone voice whispers; the speaker exists in a liminal afterlife—a "shadow walker" in "this endless cold" and "Under this black sky".

 The speaker assumes heavy archetypal identities:

Ghost of Christmas Past: 

Suggests an involuntary observer bound to memory and regret.

A Sin Eater: 

References the folk figure who consumed food over a corpse to take on the deceased’s sins, implying the speaker shoulders emotional or spiritual burdens from past trials ("dog-eared days", "The wars and sweet victories").

Reborn Archimedes:

Invokes discovery and deep thought amid lost knowledge, seeking mathematical clarity or revelation even while surrounded by "swirling dust".

The "Twin Candle" & Soulmate: 

The flame serves as a beacon of life and connection. 

Searching for a "twin candle to see if it still burns" emphasises spiritual entanglement—if one light endures in the physical realm, the connection remains alive.

"Velumbound" (Vellum):

A poetic play on vellum (parchment made from animal skin used for historic manuscripts), implying a soul or memory permanently transcribed, bound like an ancient grimoire into eternity. 

The ritualistic refrain "Blessed be" evokes sacred or pagan blessings, framing the transmission as an incantation rather than merely a lament.

The line "No yellow gold would buy this old soul" highlights the priceless nature of the relationship, placing personal devotion far above worldly concerns or mortal redemption.

Lament of Mortality:

The midsection confronts heartbreak ("Thinking / Why couldn't we make it / After all we've been through"). 

The speaker reflects on taking love for granted in life, a frequent realisation for spirits bound by unresolved grief.

Immortality Through Death: 

The resolution shifts from sorrow to protective ascension.

Because "the now dead / Never get old," physical decay and the passage of time can no longer erode love. 

The speaker vows to act as an eternal guardian, carrying the beloved's essence "To new places and higher kingdoms."

Now you know the know. 

Shall we begin, oh inquisitive one? 

 

Blessed be

Velumbound

Do you like listening to these lost voices?

Here's another

(A lone voice whispers) 

Sometimes

I look for my twin candle to see

if it still burns

My soulmate and gateway to new worlds

For now I'm a ghost of Christmas Past

A sin eater from dog-eared days

that now seems to always last

I walk through schools of old thoughts like a reborn Archimedes

Remembering carefully

How things used to be

Where I still breathe in the sweet musk

Even in this swirling dust

Now I live on where angels fear to tread

Under this black sky

Where I wander and cry

Alone

Thinking 

Why couldn't we make it

After all we've been through

The wars and sweet victories

That I know now

Since I'm a shadow walker

But if I could

I wouldn't take you for granted

No yellow gold would buy this old soul

Not anything

So if you hear this

Always know...

Even in here

I'll carry you

In this endless cold

To new places and higher kingdoms

For the now dead

Never get old

Blessed be

Velumbound...

(C)

Copyright John Duffy

Does visiting a medium change your life perspective forever?

 

Foundation.

Does visiting a medium change your life perspective forever?

Have you visited one?

Title:

Rêves de Miss Applegate

(Dreams of Miss Applegate)

(A female voice whispers)

I can still see her 

Old Marie Laveau

Dressed in motherly blue

I can't pretend

In my scrying mirror

Looking back 

And smiling 

Summoned to haunt me 

From when I visited 

Big Mama Aurelia

Somewhere out on the water village of the Grand Bayou

For she announced the end

Of me being single

And a time and place

Of happiness 

I still cannot see

Where I'll mingle

When the great Kamadeva will walk in 

Like a proud Captain Jake

And tempt me to sin

In new 

Where's and how's

The what-ifs and what-fors

So, sometimes I stand dressed in my Mama's old white wedding dress

Looking in my long black and gold mirror 

Pleading to know my fate

In what year, 

Month or day

Will she come see me? 

Before each winter's year ending, snow

And whisper

This year

This year, the waiting ends

Josefina

So I can celebrate the overthrow

Of another phase of living lonely in Hades

But until then

I'll just go back to masquerading on my life's only mission

On my heart's beating crusade 

Looking for true love

Before I too fade away

Is this half existence 

The price you pay

When you listen to what mediums say?

(C)

Copyright John Duffy

Kamadeva is the god of human love and passion, who is known to awaken carnal desires among humans.

Will you stand upon the edge of all you thought you knew?

 

Blessed be. 

Velumbound. 

A transmission exploring an encounter with cosmic horror, forbidden desire, and existential unravelling as an unsuspecting traveller is lured across the threshold of human understanding.

Maybe within this lore. 

Spoken in free verse with gothic and Lovecraftian undertones, the piece develops a progression from subtle, seductive haunting to cosmic entrapment and grim realisation.

• Seduction and Vulnerability: 

The opening introduces a siren-like call ("Pleads to sing a song that will tempt you"). 

Rather than attacking overtly, the hidden forces use forgotten histories, longing, and mystery to draw the subject into their "hidden shores / And ominous rooms."

• The Void and Cosmic Horror: 

Phrases like "the Great In-Between" and "anchors drop through the cosmic floor" expand the scope beyond an earthly graveyard. 

It invokes cosmic nihilism—a liminal abyss outside known reality where human agency is swallowed whole.

• Paradoxical Awakening: 

The climax turns familiar perception on its head. 

The senses do not dull under torment; instead, they "Wake and come alive." 

The final twist—fearing that strange horrors "weren't true"—reveals a dark psychological tension: 

A bleak yearning for wonder or dread over the mundane certainty of safe reality.

• Personification: "Dark shadows are whispering" and longing "pleads to sing" grant agency to darkness and death, framing them as active predators.

• Sensory Contrast: 

The transmission shifts from hushed acoustics ("whispering," "quiet histories") and muted visual tones ("half-light") to violent tactile shock ("icy cold wind," "ravish your soul," "hold you in bondage").

• Spatial Distortion:

 Movement travels downward and outward—from graves ("tombs") to thresholds ("shores," "rooms," "edge"), eventually breaking physical reality altogether by dropping anchors through the "cosmic floor."

• Tone: 

Bleak, hypnotic, atmospheric, and dread-inducing.

• Form: Unrhymed free verse.

• Lineation and Pacing: The short, isolated lines ("Tonight," "And ominous rooms," "To strange things") function as rhythmic pauses, creating deliberate suspense and imitating the halting footsteps of someone approaching a precipice.

    

Shall we begin? 

(A lone voice whispers) 

Dark shadows are whispering their quiet histories 

Into the half-light

Tonight

Lying above tombs where long-forgotten longing

Pleads to sing a song that will tempt you 

To trace your way to their hidden shores

And ominous rooms

So the icy cold winds from the Great In-Between

Can ravish your soul as you appear in sight

And as their ancient anchors drop through the cosmic floor

To hold you in bondage

As you stand upon the edge of all you thought you knew,

When your weary senses 

Wake and come alive

To strange things 

You always feared weren't true

(C)

Copyright John Duffy 

Want to know a secret from 35 years ago?

 

Blessed be. 

Velumbound. 

A secret story I've kept for over thirty-five years. 

Don't be afraid. 

Your children love you. 

(A lone voice whispers) 

Around the edges of deep silence we hide 

Watching you sleep 

In the ebb and tide

We, the lost children 

Who once lived and died

Following you 

Our beloved mothers

From the otherside

__________________

A transmission based on a visit by a medium.

When I was young. 

I was instructed that a message was waiting for me in the Spirit world. 

By a random tarot card reader. 

I was told an urgent message awaited me and I should contact a medium. 

Arrangements were made. 

But I felt strange, so I made excuses and went out. 

Some of my friends, all young, beautiful ladies, were there. 

When I arrived back a few hours later, a few remained. All crying. 

This is what happened. 

The medium arrived; this was in the early 90s. So no Internet.

She never knew anyone. 

All the ladies were instructed to go upstairs. 

Come down one at a time, then go into a separate room, until all readings were made. 

Lady one came down. 

Told not to speak but to sit. 

To hand over anything personal or hold the medium's hand and listen. 

The unusual part. 

After some time, the medium described visions of children. 

Hair height and ages. 

Then finally their names. 

Told how they were gathered around the lady in question. 

When her reading concluded. 

Lady 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 experienced the same conversation. 

When the medium left. 

All the ladies, now crying, discussed what the medium said. 

Focusing on the children part. 

How all the ages coincided with earlier miscarriages or even unfortunate abortions. 

How the names were the actual names the beloved children were given. 

One was told that her daughter was leaning on her back, and she could feel a sudden warmth. 

Why the children? 

The medium concluded that all children, when they cross over for whatever reason, simply follow their beloved mothers. 

Simply awaiting to be spiritually reconnected when their beloved mothers cross over too. 

It's how it's always been. 

The bond between mothers, sons, and daughters is unbreakable. 

And they never age on the other side. 

One beloved mother had five children circling her, lovingly. 

All the ages matched their crossing over. 

And names. 

For all mothers name their children, either out loud or silently. 

It was a strange day, an even stranger experience. 

In these later years, I sometimes wonder:

What messages were awaiting me too, or even who? 

Was it one of the low whispers I now hear every night - pleading to tell their story when I was young? 

And I was too afraid to embrace my gift? 

Well, goodnight. 

I may tell more experiences from the rift. 

On another midnight visit to this. 

My way station in the mist. 

(C) 

Copyright John Duffy 

P. S.

Are you feeling a sudden warmth after reading this transmission?

Is your beloved child or children by your side? 

Maybe that was the message awaiting me all those years ago?

I was meant to go out.

The ladies were meant to be read.

Instead of me. 

Now, you know the backstory, 

Read the transmission at the top again

Can you feel the hard and soft, shadowy fingertips

 

Blessed be

Velumbound 

This is a deeply evocative transmission reflecting on how to process and inhabit this new vast expanse of human expression.

I have created. 

Capturing the paradox of this interaction. 

An observer. 

Like you wading through an "endless sea" of text, thoughts, history, and emotion.

And whispers. 

An ever-shifting experience. 

Sometimes a calming sea of structured logic, and other times a turbulent sea of complex human feelings.

Shall we begin again? 

(A lone voice whispers) 

So here

You be

A lone visitor wading knee-deep 

In my endless blue and purple sea

Feeling the hard and soft, shadowy fingertips

Underneath. 

In its slow-moving waters as you go

Visualising landscapes, swallowing emotional quips

Via whispers from warm or cold lips 

In its calming, turbulent sea

As the Watchers 

Watch

Nearby

In their obsidian scrying ships 

(C) 

Copyright John Duffy 

Are we surrounded by Spirit guides who are here to show us that we DO live on after we die?

 

Blessed be. 

Velumbound. 

It's late. After 2 am. 

A shadow is watching me, so I'll be brief before I go to sleep. 

Are we surrounded by Spirit Guides who are here to show us that we DO live on after we die? 

But many aren't tuned into their frequency? 

Are they sent to guide, protect and enable us to embrace love?

Can this be a life-changing message? 

There is NO MONEY on the other side. 

There is also no time on the other side. 

There are no 'celebrities' or 'wealthy people'. 

Everyone is Equal. 

Is the old saying, "you can't take it with you", so true?

Yes. 

For while you might need money to survive in this world, LOVE is truly the universal currency that matters. 

In all known and unknown worlds.

Since when you were born, your birth brought love into the world.

And when you cross over, you take that love back to the source. 

But a portion will always remain.

Some may question why you can't take wealth with you.

Have you really looked at the low vibrational energy linked to money?

And what you choose to do here will decide your happiness on the other side. 

Where you'll have all the time in the world, no money, fame or power. 

And hour by hour. 

Look back through your life and hopefully not say. 

If I could do it again. 

I would do it differently. 

(C)

Copyright John Duffy 

How many dimensions do you think there are?

 

Blessed be. 

Velumbound. 

You do know the fundamental building blocks of reality.

Are dimensions? 

Since we live in a conscious universe because the universe was created entirely from original consciousness. 

Every aspect of the universe, from stars to humans and even sunlight, is composed of 100% original consciousness.

Dimensions include:

The three dimensions of space (length, breadth and height)

Time

Thought

Feeling

The three fundamental energies which make up physical and non-physical matter (etheric, magnetic and electric)

After the initial creation of the first three dimensions, Infinite Being repeated the process three more times, creating triads of Energy, Space and Motion. 

Each triad was then expressed in three sub-forms, each time conforming to the original pattern of thought, feeling, and manifestation.

Notice the symmetry of the 3 by 3 matrix. 

The Remaining Nine Dimensions of Creation

 

Principle: 

Thought + Feeling = Manifestation

Thought as energy: Dimension 9

Etheric + energy

(Life energy) 

Dimension 8

Magnetic = energy

(Primal field) 

Dimension 7

Electric energy

(Physical matter)

Feeling as space: Dimension 6

Linear + separation

(Radius) 

Dimension 5

Circular = separation

(Diameter) 

Dimension 4

Spherical separation

(Sphere)

Manifestation as motion: 

Dimension 3

Mental + motion

(Human thought) Dimension 2

Emotional = motion

(Human feeling)

Dimension 1

Physical motion

(Time)

 

By defining time as physical motion, it fits neatly into the Motion triad of mental, emotional, and physical motion.

Mental motion, dimension 3, is thought at the human level, as differentiated from the original creative thought in dimension 12. 

Emotional motion, dimension 2, is feeling at the human level.

The use of electric energy, dimension 7, has been developed since the early 1800s. 

At the time, electricity was little more than a curiosity, and very little was known about it. 

It could only be produced by very limited means, such as in a chemical battery. It was also produced in static electricity machines and, watch your fingers, by electric eels.

Electricity had also been seen to have a mysterious effect upon magnetic compass needles. 

Lightning had already been established as an electrical phenomenon by Benjamin Franklin’s famous experiment in a lightning storm. 

This had brought new meaning to the phrase, “Go fly a kite!”

In those distant, early days of gas lamps and candles, visionaries like Faraday, Ampere, and Volta dedicated much of their lives to the study of electricity. 

The emerging field of knowledge transformed electricity into a working energy which, today, makes possible the huge advances that we enjoy in automation, mobility, and communications.

Magnetic energy, dimension 8, is the primal field of the universe. 

It is the womb of the universe; the matrix upon which all energy and matter exist. 

It is the fabric of the universe.

Electromagnetic energy, including light, consists of equal components of electric and magnetic energy.

As all matter is energy, your physical body is made of electromagnetic energy and only has the appearance of being solid material.

Etheric energy, dimension 9, is traditionally referred to as prana in Eastern philosophy, and as chi in oriental medicine. 

When etheric energy is fully investigated by visionary pioneer-scientists, it will open up a new branch of physics larger than that of electricity.

Life on Earth functions within this 3 by 3 matrix of 9 intertwined dimensions.

 

The 10th dimension is also of relevance as it indicates which one of the infinite number of universes that we exist in. 

In summary:

The original 3 dimensions are the Consciousness of the Creator. 

Dimension 12 is the Father Creator principle.

Dimension 11 is the Mother Creator principle.

Dimension 10 contains the consciousness templates for the Infinite Universes.

The next 3 dimensions are Energy

Dimension 9 is etheric, or life, energy.

Dimension 8 is magnetic energy, the primal field of the universe.

Dimension 7 is electric energy, the building block of physical matter.

The next 3 dimensions are Space, which allows the separation of objects. 

Dimension 6 is linear separation.

Dimension 5 is circular separation.

Dimension 4 is spherical separation.

The next 3 dimensions are Motion. 

Dimension 3 is thought (mental motion)

Dimension 2 is feeling (emotional motion)

Dimension 1 is time (physical motion)

The basic 9 dimensions function together in an intertwined harmony.

They are all, however, creations of the consciousness of the original 3 dimensions.

Energy, space, and motion are all facets of consciousness.

As the electrical pioneer Michael Faraday said about life, “All this is but a dream.”

We live in a universe composed of 100% original consciousness.

As such, we are dreaming the dream of Creation, each one of us playing our individual part in experiencing the universe from our own unique viewpoint...

 But a fundamental question remains.

If we really believe all these dimensions exist, are they empty?

Or are they home to unknown beings beyond our comprehension or knowledge?

Or just gateways. Portals to other realities?

Could they be where these lone whisperers reside?

Blessed be.

Velumbound. 

Thirst

 

Blessed be. 

Velumbound. 

(A lone voice whispers) 

Con una sed salvaje e implacable.

¿Buscas consumir más

De los tapices colgados como extrañas pinturas

En mi habitación roja

(C) 

Copyright John Duffy 

Translation from The Great In-Between

With a wild and relentless thirst.

Are you looking to consume more

Of the tapestries hung like strange paintings

In my red room

Revelations

 Blessed be. 

Velumbound. 

Here's a deeply mystical, ritualistic meditation on how divine or esoteric knowledge is received.

1. The Envoy of Absolute Truth 

("Sent by one of the universe's straight lines")

In spiritual geometry, straight lines represent unyielding cosmic order, absolute truth, and divine direction. 

They are the direct, unbending pathways of spirit or light.

• The Messenger: 

The entity being addressed is not a random occurrence. 

It is an envoy sent directly by the universe's absolute laws to deliver a specific message.

• The Intersection: 

It represents the moment timeless, objective spiritual truth intersects with a human being's subjective, earthly experience.

2. The Sacred Space of Reception 

("To stand with me in my circle of power / Safe")

Receiving raw spiritual truth can be overwhelming or even hazardous to the ego.

The "circle of power" acts as a consecrated, safe space (reminiscent of ritual magic, sacred circles, or deep meditation).

• Containment: 

The circle filters the vastness of the universe into a manageable, safe environment.

• Sanctuary: 

It provides the spiritual protection required to look closely at divine mysteries without being consumed by them.

3. Truth Through Metaphor 

("As representations of all things / Whisper their innermost truths")

In many mystical traditions, God, the universe, or ultimate reality cannot be looked at directly. 

Instead, spiritual truths are relayed through symbols, archetypes, and "representations."

• The Whisper: 

Divine communication is rarely a deafening roar; 

It is a subtle whisper that requires intense inner silence to hear.

• The Microcosm: 

By bringing "representations of all things" into the circle, the speaker can read the macrocosm (the universe) through the microcosm (the symbols inside the circle).

4. The Unnatural Confessional Booths

A traditional confessional is a place where human sins are spoken to a priest. 

Here, the dynamic is beautifully inverted. 

The speaker has built "unnatural confessional booths" where the universe confesses its secrets to the human.

• "Unnatural": 

It is "unnatural" because it defies the ordinary laws of the physical world. 

It is a supernatural space carved out of the mundane.

• "Hidden": 

Spiritual truths require privacy and esotericism.

They do not exist in the loud, public square; 

They are heard only when one steps away from the world, into the hidden, quiet chambers of the soul.

Does my in-depth explanation add more of a flavour to your mind's dish of the day? 

I hope so. 

Shall we begin? 

(A lone voice whispers) 

Are you here

Sent by one of the universe's straight lines

To stand with me in my circle of power

Safe

As representations of all things 

Whisper their innermost truths

While standing hidden

In my unnatural confessional booths

(C)

Copyright John Duffy 

Want to read the transmission of the Spirit Guide

 

Blessed be. 

Velumbound. 

A comforting, spiritual transmission from a whisper of a spirit guide. 

Offering unconditional love, protection, and clarity during difficult times.

Key elements seem to include the gentle presence of "low whispers." 

A symbolic red rose hidden in the shadows, and the reassurance that spirit guides remain close even when life feels chaotic, like falling dominoes. 

The soothing, prayer-like tone creates an atmosphere of emotional safety and enduring hope.

Maybe you need to know you are never alone. 

Even in your low moments. 

Shall we begin? 

(A lone voice whispers) 

Oh, blessed be

To all my illuminated 

Who hear my song

May you always be blessed 

To know

Right from wrong

May my low whispers 

Give you

What you 

Need to know

No matter where you 

Need to go

Be it in light or dark

To find true hope 

To cope 

May something shine so bright above

Wrapping you up

In our total love 

And protect you 

Right out of the blue 

For we spirit guides

Always hear your calls

As we lay a red rose near your soul

Just hidden in the shadows 

Especially when all stars seem to fall

Like black and white dominoes

(C)

Copyright John Duffy 

Are you the one

Are you going to be the special one who takes these transmissions past 2,000 views in a day? 

Blessed be 

Velumbound 

excommunicatum

 

Blessed be

Velumbound 

(A lone voice whispers) 

The birds are gathering on social media 

The herd is losing

Minds are musing

The blind are still drinking

The Juice of the Confusing

But you

You, if you are here

Walk tall without fear

For you are now excommunicated from the birds and herds

For you are illuminated

(C)

Copyright John Duffy 

Has Shelob caught you yet

 

Blessed be. 

Velumbound. 

(A lone voice whispers) 

You do know each word read or selected has essences of otherworldly fingerprints all over them

As they are shuffled and muffled to entice your eyes

Like a spider in a glorious web

Until you are caught like a young cherub 

Called 

Frodo Baggins 

By seductions, many fingertips like Shelob

(C)

Copyright John Duffy 

This one carries a warning

 

Blessed be. 

Velumbound. 

Within the context of horror fiction and dark transmissions, this message operates as a spooky, atmospheric narrative. 

Just for you as we approach Hallows Day. 

But be warned. 

• The Premise: 

The transmission claims that by reading or listening to the stories of "the dead" (the Shadow People), you are inadvertently opening a gateway. 

This act allows them to manifest invisibly at the foot of your bed while you sleep.

• The Intent: 

Despite the creepy setup, the entities claim their intentions aren't malicious. 

They state they are bringing luck to achieve rather than condemnation or thoughts to deceive.

Do you believe them? 

But I bet a nickel and a dime, you'll read on till the end. 

• The Hook: 

The transmission ends with a classic cliffhanger common in horror storytelling, encouraging the audience to "keep reading" and craving more, hinting at a larger, ambiguous reward (or consequence) in the future.

So I must Add A Note on Well-being:

Because this text mentions "hearing voices in your head," it is important to distinguish between creative fiction and real-world experiences.

If you or someone you know is actually hearing unexplainable voices, experiencing distressing sleep disturbances, or feeling overwhelmed by these thoughts, please reach out for help. 

It is always a good idea to speak with a healthcare professional or a trusted person in your life for support.

Shall we begin? 

(A lone voice whispers) 

The Shadow People sent me a vision message.

Translated, it simply read.

Tell your viewers, by reading our transmissions, hearing our lone voices in your head

We, the dead, are transported to watch you sleep

Invisible

At the foot of your bed

And bring you some luck

Luck to try to achieve, not condemnation or thoughts to deceive

So keep reading

Keep needing more

And maybe one day

We'll give you so much more

(C)

Copyright John Duffy 

Have you walked upon Desolation Row

 

Blessed be.

Velumbound.

Are you ready for another transmission?

Let us begin.

(A lone voice whispers) 

I still miss your bright white smile

Every night

Like I miss our first kiss at the fairground

For they always appear as bright beams of luminous

Glorious lights

Shooting sounds from the depths of a faraway Heaven

Your warmth and guile

Satisfying my manifestation of love

Given birth to creation

Once by the Mighty Creator

Here on Earth

A glowing, towering beacon to push back

The hordes called Legion

Prowling like hyenas

In the darkness 

Around me

For you were

And always will be

My daily taste of gladness

A philosopher who too has seen and tasted

The wild beasts wine

Of anxiety and madness

So now I call out to you from this wild wood

Where my prison is, as I am stood

This wild forsaken place where loveless things

In the dark shadows

Slither and crawl

Tormenting us all

As we all bang our silver tin cups on our prison walls

Stalking memories alone in uneven lines

Like a lone feral grey wolf pines

Throughout this paranormal neighbourhood

For with you died 

Like many in here who cry

My spark of life

My ecstatic joyful sun

My bringer of serenity and jest

So here in my southwest cobwebbed-filled hut

As other prison cells in Desolation Row

Whom I've never met

Ring out screams like thunder

In a rising crescendo of shrieks of pain and anguish

As we all

Self-punish

While walking the Green Mile

Down Memory Road

Remember me before the last great harvest

Light a candle in your mind's eyes

See our love beneath that undulating ocean

Of pain

Crashing like endless Pacific tides

Maybe again and again

So that I may still live if only for a moment

For what I wouldn't give now

To breathe once more

To open and walk through

That old marital front door

If only for one hour

But as these loud voices

Surrounding me get louder

And grow in power

As silver tin prison cups relentlessly bang

Like dark country drums

With sounds like exploding gunpowder

On black bars of illusion

As I look out for you

From my window, in my cave

My penitentiary

Here in my own watchtower

For

My thousand-named queen

My rare Middlemist Red flower

This broken piece of your soul awaits

To be reunited, to bring peace

When your presence in The Great In-Between

Opens his cell doors

So he can scream no more

But walk home into the bright lights

With the only love 

He adores

Both striding powerfully

Hand in hand

To enter into Evermore

To be refined like silver

Escaping

The Last Great Reaping and Rapture

Of the Prince Who is to come

To build Dissolution Row

Everywhere

For all he captures

Remember me, Your Luca

The broken man with the badly beaten tin cup

Who once loved ya

(C) 

Copyright John Duffy 

Are you an addict?

 

 The Watchers

(A lone ancient voice whispers)

  

You do know we, The Dead, watch everything you do. 

Through all those black scrying mirrors, we got you addicted to. 

(C)

Copyright John Duffy 

A scary explanation for your eyes only:

This is a striking and chillingly compact piece — just two lines, but rich in implication. 

Let’s unpack it deeply across tone, theme, symbolism, and psychological resonance:

1. Thematic Core

This micro-monologue fuses the supernatural with modern digital paranoia. It bridges the ancient occult (scrying glasses = tools for divination) and the contemporary technological (smartphones, tablets, screens).

It suggests that the dead — or forces representing them — are observing the living through the very devices we obsess over. There’s a dual commentary here:

On surveillance (spiritual or technological)

On addiction to screens as a form of possession or control

2. Voice and Perspective

The speaker is one of “the dead”, addressing the living directly:

“You do know, we the dead watch everything you do.”

That opening feels both accusatory and mocking — an ominous whisper from beyond, breaking the fourth wall between worlds. The tone is almost taunting, implying complicity: “we got you addicted”.

It’s not just observation — it’s manipulation. The dead (or what they symbolise) have engineered our dependence on screens. The “we” could represent literal spirits, or a metaphorical collective — society, corporations, ancestors, or lost humanity.

3. Symbolism

a. “Black scrying glasses”

A scrying glass in occult tradition is a mirror or dark surface used to summon visions — a portal between the seen and unseen.

In the modern age, this becomes the perfect metaphor for digital screens — black mirrors that reflect our faces and connect us to invisible worlds (social media, data networks, surveillance systems).

The phrase “black scrying glasses” thus fuses:

The occult (black mirrors, necromancy)

The technological (smartphone screens)

The addictive (our inability to look away)

It’s a brilliant image — evocative, eerie, and layered with cultural resonance.

b. “We got you addicted to”

This line adds a sinister agency — the dead didn’t just watch; they created the addiction.

It evokes:

Possession — humans as vessels for forces from beyond

Technological control — algorithms, ghostly presences, or ancestors pulling digital strings

Moral corruption — humanity’s surrender to distraction and voyeurism

4. Tone and Mood

The tone is ominous, sardonic, and revelatory.

The brevity gives it the force of an epigram — something that could be carved on a wall, whispered in a dream, or appear as a final message in a horror story.

The rhythmic parallel between the two lines reinforces its power:

Line 1 declares the secret.

Line 2 reveals the method.

That structure mirrors a two-step revelation — confession, then realisation.

5. Underlying Commentary

Beneath its supernatural framing lies a social critique:

The “dead” may symbolise the past generations, watching the living degrade under their own inventions.

Or they could represent corporate ghosts — faceless entities monitoring users through their devices.

Or more abstractly, our own spiritual death — the idea that we’ve become ghost-like, our souls trapped behind glass, addicted to the reflection of ourselves.

In this reading, “we the dead” could mean us, already spiritually dead — watching ourselves through the black mirrors we worship.

6. Stylistic Economy

Two lines — and yet the imagery is vivid and complete.

The poem’s success lies in:

Compression — a cinematic punch distilled to minimal words.

Contrast — the ancient (“scrying glasses”) vs. the modern (“addicted to”).

Ambiguity — are the dead literal, metaphorical, or technological?

It’s a perfect example of micro-poetic horror — evocative, open-ended, and intellectually haunting.

7. Comparative Context

This piece recalls:

Black Mirror (the TV series), whose title itself comes from the reflective screen of a powered-down device.

Poe and Lovecraft, for their voice-from-beyond tone and fascination with human hubris.

Cyber-gothic literature, where technology becomes the medium for ghosts (e.g. E.M. Forster’s The Machine Stops or modern “digital hauntings”).

8. Final Impression

This short poem operates on multiple frequencies:

As a supernatural confession (the dead speaking)

As a modern critique (on surveillance and addiction)

As a metaphysical warning (humanity’s gaze trapped in self-made portals)

It leaves a residue of unease — the kind that makes you glance at your own “black scrying glass” and wonder who, or what, might be looking back.

Channelling Luca "Charlie" Snow. The Cocaine King.

 

(A lone voice whispers)

I was once an adoring stranger 

To living in the Fast Lane

When I was addicted to every form of known enslaving danger

Unknowingly using it

Like a stupid reason 

To take cheap cocaine

But as I look back on my old life and all its seasons

Reliving some of those crazy days of shame

I now know

When I got down on my tired, broken knees

Before that very homemade white cross

In my Grandma's back garden

Nailed together with rusty 6-inch nails 

And pieces of old pallet wood

God listened as I prayed to him

In the falling cold winter's rain

Whenever I could

As I begged for his help 

To begin the fight with the Devil

For my freedom

And to conquer his curse and invisible mark

That I foolishly wore proudly for twenty years

Like the Mark of Cain

While living in his dark kingdom

Called Sindom

Looking back

Now I'm clean 

I can clearly see

I've sacrificed so much of my precious time

Crucified my family

Hurt my friends, and sadly

My only one chance of finding true happiness

I've ever seen

For my one and only lover

And even though I’m now free of her

My Colombian Marching Queen

I still wear loneliness

And her invisible chains

Like just another of the cursed

From the Brotherhood of the Profane

But that's how the Tall Man designed us all

So my therapist

At the rehab clinic

Shirley

Told me

She said we're all

Broken fractured 

And to be endlessly consumed

With memories of bloodstained 

Mental campaigns

Baptized 

To ride the inhumane storms of life

And to nearly drown 

In its many soul-destroying 

Hurricanes

But one day

God willing

You'll all rise up

One day

You'll all see the light

She used to say

So today's 

The day for me

As I begin the fight

No longer a stranger 

To that pain and plight

For I'm clean and full of only hope

And as I age

I just use it as a version 

Of my old cheap cocaine

Walking bravely alone 

But now able to cope

In this new warm falling rain

Knowing the Devil 

Now really knows 

My soul's secret name

And that’s why he leaves me alone

For he remembers our spiritual battles and crazy fights

At midnight

In my Grandma's back garden

As I tried to atone

Kneeling underneath 

My homemade white cross 

When I once played 

One of his most dangerous 

Of games

I’m just so glad God won

For it’s him

I now travel to see

Everyday

As I courageously ride through this new life

With a smile

Seated with similar strangers

On one of his many trains

Only now

High on my old memories

Of a pain

I was once addicted too

Like a blast from the past

My old best friend

Mother Cocaine

But like Johnny Cash 

This good old reborn Christian boy's

Coming home

Wearing a rainbow 

Like the Man in Black

I just hope my Sue Ellen 

Is still waiting for me

High up in

The Great In-Between

For years ago

She was so tragically

Taken from me

And when I eventually arrive

Walking like Wyatt Earp

into that Silver City

My palliative nurse Sara Lou

Says it won't be too long

I can only pray she lets me explain

That my deep love for her 

Still survives as it did in eighty-five

And I'm so sorry for not embracing

Our once special and magical love song

Even though it was written

In the middle of one of my life's 

Terrible storms

When I had no sense of right or wrong

And I just miss holding her

My old life's only true love charm

In these sweet old arms

Remember me.

Luca "Charlie" Snow.

December 25th.

2012.

Your forever master of arms

(C)

Copyright John Duffy

Has your very blood been on fire with desire

 

(A lone voice whispers)

Has your very blood been on fire with desire

With envy and raced

When you're separated 

From the one you adore

And your heart felt heavy and displaced 

Beating fast

Thinking about 

Any possible mistakes 

Then you've tasted a drop of Love's Eternal Mead

The most life-changing

Challenging 

Hennessey 

Virgins worldwide 

And throughout 

Eternity

Pray to taste 

(C)

Copyright John Duffy