Maps are traps!
Head for the edge.
Leap into the gap.
Slice and dice that map into scraps.

That’s how they keep you on the trail,
Deciding if you win or fail.
“Oh! We know where you should go!”
Buddy, I want off the rails!

This paper’s not enough.
I want what ink can’t touch.
Unfoldable, unrecordable stuff.
Go off with a laugh
Into the rough riff-raff!

Mountainous valleys,
Spellbound alleys,
Hell hound houses,
Heaven’s high holds.
Hi ho!
Let’s go!

Don’t let them tell you a thing!
They run a circus of circles
And want you center ring!
Going nowhere new,
Nowhere not allowed,
Making the bored crowd
Oh so-so proud.

Cut through their dodgy, stodgy mapped mirage.
It’s the only way to find where you belong.
Bon voyage.

Selling laughs! Buy ’em here!
Get a giggle sample!

It’s our big best seller,
Please don’t trample!

I sense a lot of tension.
Things get tragic. True and true.

Did I forget to mention?
Here’s what laughs can do for you –

They give a bounce to your step
And a bubbly soul.

Take in the “Ha Hu Ha” musical
And enjoy a great guffaw miracle!

If you’re laughing
You’re in luck.

They call it priceless
But I’ll take a buck.

Hurt,
Wrongs,
Ugly struggle,
I’ll take them all
And try to juggle
Hope and trouble,
Pop all bubbles!
Give me your worst!
Make it double!
You never know
What’ll grow
From rubble.

Give me more!

Who am I to ask for less?
You want the best?
I’ll take the rest.
At my behest
Give me the mess!
Welcome blessed,
Honored guest
To this our most
Distressing quest.

You save face,
Mine’s got to go!
A leap of faith?
I’ll take a fall from grace!
At least to keep
From running in place.
Just jump! Let’s leap!
Yes, of course the cost is steep!
Price isn’t all!
Prize the fall!
Stop counting sheep
And ride one off
And out of
Dreamless sleep!

I’ll meet you in
The
Noble
Unknown

D
E
E
P.

Drawn by Simon whose art can be found on his Instagram.

(Read Part I, Part II and Part III.)

Some falls are good and this was that,
Koral withstood some true combat
And now she stood a new stone cat.
But what was this? She hissed and spat!
Before her was a rough stone rat,
Who said, “You know not where you’re at.”

Then a purring growl from deeper down
Came ripping through the seething ground –
“Rat abandoned fire, he’s stone aligned.
Now we care for these burning mines.
Against the flaming fates we hold the line.” –
There stood an ancient iron lion.

Lion said, “Rat will help you get along,
Back to the top where you belong.
Keep your faith, you’re young and strong.
Ahead are many teaching wrongs.
Whatever comes, you must keep on.”
And with that, Lion was gone.

One more beast from my book Beasts Without Borders – a bestiary with the illustrations of John Prentiss Benson.

A rare hunter of the plant world, the claptrap is the mature adult form of the venus fly trap.  It can hear a fly buzzing at 300 miles but doesn’t pick up much else, which is fine because it isn’t interested in much else.  It has a very intense focus on flies and the rest of the world is just a fly incubator (though it does thank you for your service).

Beasts Without Borders is a book full of wild beasts wonderfully drawn by John Prentiss Benson and described by me.  I’ve posted a few of the beasts already so you can find the Infinipede, Kaf and Bebruz on this site or go over to Amazon for a preview of the book.  A Kindle version comes free with the purchase of a physical copy.  Enjoy!

Get the book on Amazon now.

This is a beast from an upcoming book – a bestiary with the illustrations of John Prentiss Benson.

Sections of the infinipede have been studied but a full anatomical chart has never been completed.  We just don’t have enough paper.  It once swam in three different oceans at the same time.  Scientists are able to study the same creature simultaneously all across the world.  All of this is to say that it’s really long.