By far the best poem I've ever written...

Boadicea

I sit here waiting,
My hope dead at the hands of the Romans,
My life soon to join
My soldiers’ lives.
But I have my honour intact;
That I have not lost,
And I shall never lose it.
I am a Celt;
This while I breathe,
I have my honour.

Those filthy Romans,
Thos evil beasts!
They have denounced my religion,
Violated my gods,
Destroyed my homeland,
Slaughtered my soldiers,
Terrorized my people.
I am a Celt;
Thus while I breathe,
I have my honour.

Soon they will find me here,
And put me to death.
But they cannot make it so simple.
First they will snatch my power,
Seize my homeland,
Enslave my people.
Then they will crush my dignity, my honour.
I am a Celt;
Thus while I breathe,
I have my honour.

They have taken everything from me,
All but my life and honour.
I cannot save my life.
But my honour will remain long after I pass.
I shall go to the stars,
As Brennus and Prasutagus did before me.
I shall live forever.
I am a Celt;
Thus while I breathe,
I have my honour.

I shall live forever.
My gods smile down upon me,
And I shall go to the stars.
Someday the Romans will fall,
And until then I shall watch from above.
Now I must go; I must preserve my dignity,
For my dignity will preserve me.
I am a Celt;
Thus while I breathe,
I have my honour.

I have my honour…
I have my honour.

Copyright © August 2006 Brian Cansler

A Request

Anonymous said...
Keep up the great words! You are too young for the
blue though, LOL just kidding! Age is just a number!
Tuesday, July 25,
2006
2:24:40 AM

Would the person who left this comment please send me a private message on Unity, as I assume you are from Unity. I just really want to know who this is, it's driving me crazy.

Thanks!

Two Poems I Wrote

I Die Every Night

Often the silence is murder at night
When my empty bed swallows me and I get lost…
I remember your face, your bright eyes’ light,
It’s then that I know that our love has a cost…
And that’s when I’d die.

Every night, when I say that I’m fine,
Without you in my arms,
Without your lips on mine,
I die there, without your charms.

Why must you be so far away?
Why can’t you be here now?
This all-consuming pain is killing me each night,
While you are not here to show me how.
I’m tired of living by day,
And of dying by night.

But to my mind’s much dismay,
I will continue until the light,
To keep our love alive…
For there’s nothing more important,
Than keeping our burning love alive.

© June 2006 Brian Cansler

Love

My Love,
My dearest Love,
My truest, sweetest, purest Love,
I never want to let you go,
Never want to leave your side,Never want to look away.

I want all your anger,
Your fears,
Your doubts,
Your pain,
I want it all to disappear whenever I touch you,
Kiss you,
Look at you.

I want you to feel safe in my arms,
For nothing could ever hurt you there.
When I hold your perfect form in my arms,
My only wish is that I will never have to leave you,
Your eyes,
Your scent,
Your smile,
Your Lips,
I never want to let you go.

I love you more than I ever thought possible,
I care for you more than I anyone has before,
And I need you more than ever before.
I crave you, desire you, need you,
I love you.

© June 2006 Brian Cansler

The Essential Elements to a Good Novel

Essential Elements

I am currently in the process of reading "Eldest: Book Two of Inheritance" by Christopher Paolini, a wonderful fantasy writer. I read "Eragon: Book One of Inheritance" last year, and I was simply delighted when the new book came out. Paolini is one of those few authors that come about only every few centuries. The only word to describe them is "breathtaking."
Paolini does things with words that I have never seen done before. There are elements to his stories that give him an edge above most modern authors. These elements are important to me as a reader, and they set goals towards which I strive as a writer.
For example, I am in love with his characters. Paolini brings the characters to life on the page, making them real, breathing people that speak to you as though standing right in front of you. When something good happens to them, I celebrate with them. When tragedy strikes, I weep with them. And when there is danger, I am ready to defend them with my life. I’ve seen characters come to life, but I’ve never had one sit beside me on the bed and tell me their story in person. Paolini makes this possible.
My favourite character, Angela the healer and herbalist, is the most amazing person I’ve ever met (I say that because I feel as though I have met her). She is eccentric, optimistic, and helpful, but can also be mysterious, mystical, and wise. Angela adds a spice to the Inheritance series like adding a bit of bleu cheese into a salad. She doesn’t overpower the tale, and yet without her, the book wouldn’t nearly be the same.
Another element that defines a good story is the setting. Paolini’s world, Alagaësia, is filled with amazing creatures that baffle the imagination. There are conflicts that boil my blood at the mere thought. There are real, working languages that the author has made up that are captivating. There are once-in-a-lifetime journeys that the main character, Eragon, takes in order to save the lives of millions. And all of this takes place in a fantasy world that Paolini describes with brilliant language that lifts me up and thrusts me into Alagaësia.
And then, there is the sense of mystery. We never quite know exactly what is going on…we never get the full story. Now, we’ve all read books that give you all the facts, and then the ending is a load of crap because you could predict what was going to happen right down to the dialogue. Yes, honesty is a good thing, but you know what they say about too much of a good thing…What’s that? You don’t? Pity…I don’t either…
But I digress…the point is, Paolini gives us something to look forward to…knowledge. The world is on a never-ending hunt for knowledge, and that’s exactly what we get at the end of Paolini’s books. But he still doesn’t give us everything. That’s for the next book!
Paolini’s writing gives me a pleasure in reading that I have never experienced before. I can only imagine what he will become in the future. He is one of those writers who will be talked about in five hundred, a thousand, or five thousand years ago. He is a revolution to writing, and I tip my hat to him, as both a reader and a writer.
© June 2006 by Brian L. Cansler

Wow! Long time, no post!

Seeing as how it's been over 3 MONTHS since I actually had time to post, I decided I probably should now. I got swept up with the Nat'l Latin Exam (http://www.nle.org ...PERFECT SCORE!!!) and my exams (I passes all of my classes and exams with flying colours!), along with my new Teach Yourself Latin Blog (http://learnlatin.blogspot.com/) and discussion board (http://enyafan713.proboards76.com/index.cgi).
So, anyway, if I didn't even have time to post anything on my blog, how could I possibly have time to write anything? But last week, I did find some time. I threw out about 1,800 words and made up for it...I just hated where that chapter was taking the story. But everything is okay now! I'll probably post a few new excerpts in the coming week, before I go to the Summer Journalism Institute at the University of Florida in Gainesville.
Until then, Best Wishes!
Brian

Artemisia

I got feedback from my "editor" on the new material I sent her, and there are great things in it.
For world history, I am doing a report on Renaissance artist Artemisia Gentileschi, daughter of Orazio Gentileschi, the painter. Artemisia was a powerful woman who was raped by her art tutor as a teenager, and this is refletcted in her art.

This site is fantastic. It has pictures and background on every painting accredited to her, as well as more information on her than anyone could ask for. I advise anyone interested in art, especially Renaissance artwork, to check it out.

The Best Writing Day I Think I've Ever Had

I sat down in front of my computer for the first time in about two weeks and said, "I'm going to get at least 500 words down for Evening Falls today if it's the last darn thing I do." This was the first time I sat down to write new material in about a month, so I had a lot of pent-up ideas that needed to be released. Well, I figured that 500 words would carry me through until dinner.
I got a little carried away and, four Enya CD's later, I'd written almost 2,000 WORDS!!! I started with 15,621 words, and now I was up 2,000 more. I was in shock when I did a word count. Talk about being thrilled! Anyway, I got some fabulous material that I'll send off tonight.

Current Word Count: 17,500 Words

I HATE THE FLU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hate it! Loathe it! Despise it!
Three days of school for which I'll have to make up the work...terrible. My stomach aches when I cough or sneeze, my head pounded yesterday and Sunday, my nose is running like Hermes, and my fever has fluxuated between 100 and 105. Yes, I hate the flu. But I must go back to school tomorrow, or there is a chance I will not be able to make up the work quickly enough.
I got no writing done yesterday, but Sunday I finished Chapters 11-22 Revisions, so that is out of the way. Today, with a fever of only 100 and my headache down, I may get some new material down. Maybe...
I HATE, LOATHE, and DESPISE THE FLU!!!