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Jordan D. River

@jordanriverwrites.bsky.social

1.2K followers 1.1K following 1.2K posts

Poet/Author. Game/Book reviews. I love feedback! Please! I write short stories and novel mostly in verse across genre, but typically horror adjacent. Check media tab for latest from me. https://jordanrivertales.wordpress.com

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Jordan D. River @jordanriverwrites.bsky.social · 16d

This canto is so long it has to be split into two posts.
#WIP #Poetry
#TreasureIsland A Rhythmic Voyage
Third Movement, Passage 8 Comrades in the Caves
Canto 15 Boy In The Shadows
Jim, on the run, finds a surprising new ally.

Treasure Island A Rhythmic Voyage
Third Movement
Passage 8 Comrades In The Caves
Canto 15 Boy In The Shadows

Through branches thick, I forced my flight,
Each vine a claw, each root a bite.
My breath was fire, my chest a drum—
I crashed through green and would not come.

Then from the dark—a sudden shape,
Half man, half beast, in rags of cape.
His hair was wild with twigs and shells,
His face carved thin by island hells.

Cord strung with bones hung round his throat,
His skin burned dark as copper coat.
I stumbled back—my legs near broke,
My throat half-closed, no breath, no spoke.

He raised one hand, not claw, not knife—
But something still that hinted life.
His voice came high, a reedy sound,
Yet rough with years of haunted ground:

"Saw you running,
heard you breathing—
Silver's cutting
what he's needing."

I stumbled back against the tree—
"You know of Silver? How can this be?"
My chest near burst, I could not stand
No safe place in this haunted land.

"Easy, easy—
Silver's poison,
but Ben's harmless,
Ben's your choice, son.
Three years hiding
from his blade—
Three years learning
what he's made."

His ribs stuck sharp beneath his shirt,
His feet were bare, both scarred with dirt.
A lad near-grown, all bone and skin,
Not much older than I had been!
Yet when he spoke, the shadows bent,
As if the jungle gave consent.

The fear still shook me, but his tone
Was gentle, not like Silver's stone.
"Who are you? How do you know
The man who struck that deadly blow?"

He laughed—a sound half-sweet, half-mad,
Then dropped to sit, no longer bad:
"Ben Gunn's my name,
Ben Gunn's my calling—
Flint's old cabin boy
come falling.
They left me here
when sails drew on—
three years alone,
three years gone."

"You saw him kill
the gentle lad—
lad was good,
Ben was sad.
Silver's got plans,
Silver's got schemes—
Silver kills boys
and their dreams."

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I found my voice, though thick with dread:
"I'm Jim. Jim Hawkins," I said.
"Silver smiles, but not for long—
I’ve seen his kindness turn to wrong."

Ben tilted close, his eyes grew bright:
"Jim like the jay,
Jim like the wren—
Jim needs shelter,
Jim needs Ben.
Come quick away,
come quick and follow—
Silver hunts deep,
Silver hunts hollow."

"A boy who sees
is rare as gold,
Most are blind
till they’ve been sold.
Keep those eyes,
lad—sharp and true—
They’ll guard your heart,
they’ll carry you."

He rose and beckoned through the green,
His movements quick, his purpose keen.

"The cave's not far,
the cave's well-hid—
Ben's kept safe
what Flint forbid.
Fire and fruit
and goat's sweet cheese—
Come away, Jim,
come find peace."

Through twisted root and hanging vine,
Ben led me by a path divine.
His bare feet found what mine could not—
Each stone, each turn, each shadowed spot.

The jungle whispered as we passed,
Its secrets held, its die well-cast.
Ben moved like wind through leaf and fern,
While I could only stumble, learn.

"See there the marks?
see there the signs?
Silver's been walking
these same lines.
But Ben knows places
Silver can't—
Ben knows the island's
sacred cant."

We climbed through moss and dripping stone,
through jungle paths thick with loam.
A cave mouth gaped like hungry maw,
With shadows deep and filled with awe.

The cave mouth narrowed, damp with moss.
Inside, the walls were black with smoke.
A driftwood fire caught, then tossed
Its sparks like stars, as Ben half-spoke.

“Here’s Ben’s palace,
here’s Ben’s keep—
safe from danger,
safe for sleep.

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Three years building,
three years gone—
Ben still sings,
though all else’s done.”

The entrance small, but deep within
I glimpsed a world that might have been—
A castle built of driftwood logs,
Of shells and rope and island bogs.

He struck the flint; the branches caught.
The fire flared wide, then burned to red.
And in that glow the cave revealed
More secrets than his words had said.

"Sit you down
and take your rest—
Ben will bring
his island's best."

Behind him, shadows stretched like doors,
Dark tunnels carved in rock and time.
They reached away through unseen floors,
Like roots that burrowed, deep, sublime.

At first I thought them only stone—
Just caverns cut by wind and tide.
But gleams of gold in firelight shone—
A curve, a shine he could not hide.

A cup half-buried in the sand,
A plate pressed flat against the wall.
He set his food with careless hand
Within a silver, tarnished bowl.

No word he gave, no boast, no claim—
The goblet held his goat’s milk plain.
But still I knew the shapes by name,
And shivered at the thought of gain.

He cracked a crab upon the stone,
And pressed a slab of goat’s white cheese.
He laughed to see me gag and groan—
“Island’s bounty, Jim! Try, please!”

“Fruit from shadow,
meat from sand—
fire by night,
goat by hand.
Silver feasts on
blood and lies—
Ben eats truth,
and goat that cries.”

I chewed the cheese, its sour bite
Like salt rubbed raw upon my tongue.
But something in his laughing light
Felt closer than the men I’d sprung.

“Island’s pantry,
strange but true—
gives old dishes,
gives old brew.
Ben eats well where
Flint would feast—
goats don’t care for
gold in least.”

He laughed, and stirred the embers bright.
I dared not press, I dared not ask.

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Reposted by Jordan D. River

A.R. Moxon @juliusgoat.bsky.social · 13h

I wrote about a new Nazi party that seeks to criminalize all human virtue, and how that means that human virtue is the greatest weapon against the new Nazi project.

www.the-reframe.com/the-crime-of...

The Crime of Human Virtue

Sometimes it really is as simple as good vs. evil. This is one of those times. Human virtue is our great crime against the fascist project; it's also our great weapon against it.

www.the-reframe.com

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Reposted by Jordan D. River

Mike O’Brien @zoomburst.substack.com · 18h

I have taken to writing reviews. Here are my thoughts on #poetry collections from Ian Parks, Matthew Paul and Rotherham Flux. (With a poem from each.)

What I've Been Reading

Three recently published poetry collections which are well worth spending some time with.

sixtyoddpoets.substack.com

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Reposted by Jordan D. River

Havetsavain Academy of Arcane @havetsavain.bsky.social · 2d

Hiya everyone!

A couple of weeks ago, I was able to participate in a podcast! Talking about our first book in our series Havetsavain Academy of Arcane!

Go check out The Reading Sparrow, & all the good work she puts in to help Indie authors! 🥳

Remember to have it so fine at Havetsavain!

#booksky

Sarina Langer @sarinalangerauthor.bsky.social · 2d

Episode 6 of #theReadingSparrow podcast is now out! In this one, I talked to @havetsavain.bsky.social about Havetsavain Academy of Arcane, languages, and the Bermuda triangle.

#writingcommunity #readersky

ko-fi.com/post/S1-E6-H...

S1 E6: Havetsavain Academy by Kim Floam & RJ Lindblom (fantasy)

Sarina published a post on Ko-fi

ko-fi.com

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Jordan D. River @jordanriverwrites.bsky.social · 1d

A deep discussion on kennings which are more far more complex than just word-hypen-word. I have theories about metaphorical usage that might explain why they are far more common in certain germanic-derived branches.

Paul Deane @rhunedhel.bsky.social · 2d

www.deadlanguagesociety.com/p/the-ancien... by @colingorrie.bsky.social

The ancient art of beating about the bush

Why you should care about kennings

www.deadlanguagesociety.com

Reposted by Jordan D. River

MK Alexander @smartreads.bsky.social · 2d

✍️ The Reviewer 99¢
📚💙 #Humor #Satire #ShortStory #WritingCommunity
A short story about a mentally unstable Indie-Author and the review that destroys his life…
www.amazon.com/dp/B01N249E76

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Reposted by Jordan D. River

The Bath Bomb Dealer 🛁 🫧 @jumpyjellybeanbath.bsky.social · 2d

$20/$395 thank you so much for your mystery box order ‼️

Can I get a few more people to check out my page 👀 I am trying to raise enough funds to save me vehicle.

Every order means the absolute most to me and my daughter ✨

ko-fi.com/jumpyjellybe...

Visit JumpyJellybean Bath Bombs's Shop!

I've opened a shop. Come take a look!

ko-fi.com

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Reposted by Jordan D. River

Author Suzy Davies Award-Winning Children's Books and YA LitFic @birdwriterwrites.bsky.social · 2d

A Romance novel for young adults.

www.amazon.co.uk/Snow-Queen-S... #ireadya #SFF #curses #paranormal #romanticfiction #truelove #mystery #destiny #Bradford #Barnsley #Doncaster #York #Hull #Leeds #Edinburgh #reading #readers #occult #magick #romancenovels #romancereader #romanticnovel #booksky

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Reposted by Jordan D. River

Matt Mason - One Chaotic Author @chaoticauthor.online · 5d

I don't normally do this, but I've been burning the candle at both ends.

Other half had a major op earlier this year and now I'm in hospital for an investigation.

Regardless of what's wrong, I need rest, but I've had little work this year.

I'd appreciate if anyone is able to help out.

Support Matt Mason ❤️

Become a supporter of Matt Mason today!

ko-fi.com

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Reposted by Jordan D. River

Louise Blackwick @louiseblackwick.com · 6d

There is currently a 50% discount on all my #Halloween & #horror short-stories & novellas.🩸📚

Download all 3 stories (& own them forever in 2 digital formats) for less than 5$!💙📚

1️⃣Jump into the Abyss!: bit.ly/4nES2Lq
2️⃣Reprobates: bit.ly/4mUIRVU
3️⃣The Underworld Rhapsody: bit.ly/4pSYJLv

#spooktober🎃

From the bestselling author of the "Vivian Amberville" saga, comes the unnerving horror short-story of a man who gets buried alive over the festering remains of his late wife, Kassandra.

During his premature entombment, forty long nails are struck into Chase Chaperone's casket, plunging him deeper into Hell. This grim ritual is a dark operetta written in rhyming prose - an homage to Dante's Inferno - from which naught but the most vile of souls can escape. The man is subsequently set free from the coffin by the grotesque dwarf Eldritch, who in a fit of revenge, climbs onto his back and refuses to climb down. Chase is thus doomed to carry the parasitic dwarf atop his back for the rest of his days, while searching for absolution.

This Halloween special explores themes such as "death and decay", "justice" and "morality", in a forlorn world set outside the reach of modern civilisation.

Written in the grim and melodious style of Edgar Allan Poe, "Jump into the Abyss!" follows Chase Chaperone's descent into the far-reaching Abyss of his soul in a masterfully-written allegorical tale.

Your purchase will grant you access to the ePub and PDF-formats.

From the bestselling author of the "Vivian Amberville" saga, comes the surreal novella of a man's journey through Limbo.

Freshly arrived at the Totermann Inn, Marc Whitehouse couldn’t have known he was dead. Sir, no sir. Not now that Chantal Dublanc had so mysteriously entered his life; his afterlife. In his quest for the truth behind his early demise, he finds himself on a journey where past memories intermingle with present actions. He is not yet ready to call it a life. 206 heartbeats to peace. The hour is late, but Marc is yet to renounce his hope for salvation...

A surreal novella of love, loss and the afterlife, written in the captivating, dreamlike style of André Breton. “Reprobates” is an exquisitely written narrative of Life after Life, centered on Marc’s journey through Limbo.

Its style is heavy on allegory, at every step teeming with Underworld intrusions of the sacred into the profane.

Your purchase will grant you access to the ePub and PDF-formats.

From the bestselling author of the "Vivian Amberville" series, comes the surreal novella that will have you question the very foundation of your reality.

Under the influence of the powerful new psychedelic drug “Rhapsody”, Mario Fantoccio discovers the existence of an invisible reality overlaying our own.

The rhapsody-altered state of consciousness brings Mario to close encounters with “the Masters of Strings”, a coven of hyperdimensional beings who appear to control the destiny of every human in existence.

Desperate to sever the strings tying him to the will of his Masters, Mario overdoses on Rhapsody and escapes into hell, hoping to regain control of his life and free will.

Based on a modern interpretation of Jungian psychology, The Underworld Rhapsody is heavily themed on "subjective reality", "altered states of consciousness", and "individuation" as it follows one man's struggle to escape the chaos of his life and regain his free will.

Your purchase will grant you access to the ePub and PDF-formats.

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Jordan D. River @jordanriverwrites.bsky.social · 2d

Perhaps my least/most metaphorical poem to date. ;)

Jordan D. River @jordanriverwrites.bsky.social · 3d

I can't rave enough for constructed language and poetry. Excellent poems and your explanations in the essay only make the experience more enjoyable. Honor deserved.

Reposted by Jordan D. River

The Broken Spine @thebrokenspine.co.uk · 3d

Something Gothic this way comes… Submissions are OPEN for The Havisham Steps: Modern Gothic Poetry. We want poems of neon dread, fractured love, haunted minds.

Closing date: October 31st

#PoetrySubmissions #SubmissionWindow #TheHavishamSteps #ModernGothicPoetry

Something Gothic This Way Comes: Submit to The Havisham Steps: Modern Gothic Poetry - The Broken Spine

Submissions Open Throughout October 2025 | Publication in 2026

thebrokenspine.co.uk

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Jordan D. River @jordanriverwrites.bsky.social · 4d

October should be Oligarch rejection month. A general strike would be glorious, but smaller acts can build up as well. Cancel subscriptions, stop using apps, stop going to corporate stores. 31 days of just dialing back consumerism is not going to kill anyone but it will light a fire.

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Jordan D. River @jordanriverwrites.bsky.social · 4d

I was sensing a throughline in your posts so far this morning. :)

Jordan D. River @jordanriverwrites.bsky.social · 5d

I believe that rumor was started by Trothful Teddie, a local used horse salesman with questionable suppliers. "You wouldn't know them, they are from a fief in Hitherland."

Jordan D. River @jordanriverwrites.bsky.social · 5d

#Poetry #WIP I've been working on a cycle dealing with creation myths.

Page 1/2
## What Light Remembers

In the beginning, silence.
In the silence, light.
From the light, a longing—
to break the perfect night.

She pulled a piece of shadow
from her shining breast.
The shadow coiled and quickened;
forgot that he was blessed.

"I am the only maker!
I am the only god!
This darkness is my kingdom,
this emptiness my rod."

2/2

He carved a world of hunger,
he built a house of bone.
He trapped the light in bodies,
and claimed them as his own.

But light remembers light,
and sparks remember home.
The prisoners hear whispers
of a place beyond the dome.

The maker’s world is passing.
The cage will crack and fall.
The sparks will rise like starfire
and burn away the thrall.
Then silence will be singing—
the light will call us all.

J.D. River

Jordan D. River @jordanriverwrites.bsky.social · 5d

Here's hoping it's an undigested bit of beef, a blot of mustard, a crumb of cheese, a fragment of underdone potato. You might want to prepare yourself for a visit by ghosts of three!

Get better soon.

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Jordan D. River @jordanriverwrites.bsky.social · 6d

"Tropical Groove - Flavored with OTHER natural flavors."

Yummy. I love Other.

Jordan D. River @jordanriverwrites.bsky.social · 6d

Lyrical #Poetry needs some attention and a refresh.

Dave Ashley @daveashleypoet.bsky.social · 6d

I might have gone refrain bonkers!!!

This week its #madrigal week. 13 lines of heaven. Come with me to a beautiful land of madrigals and enjoy their splendour.

I dare you, let's #madrigal together!!

Form rules below
www.writersdigest.com/write-better...

Madrigal: Poetic Form

The madrigal is a poetic form that originated in Italy but has a very strict English structure developed by Geoffrey Chaucer. Learn the rules, see an example, and maybe write your own.

www.writersdigest.com

Jordan D. River @jordanriverwrites.bsky.social · 6d

The tercet really needs to have impact since it outweighs independent lines. Drummond used several stanza variations that helped relieve this. Probably easier to compose on a lute. :)

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Reposted by Jordan D. River

Jordan D. River @jordanriverwrites.bsky.social · 7d

#PoemsAbout #Mannequin #Alliteration Some might note the similarity to modern constructs. This is entirely poetically coincidental and in no way is meant as an indictment. I would love further comment, @alanparrywriter.co.uk and anyone!

## The King on His Chair
Jordan D. River

The gilded chair is built to shine—its rot beneath unseen.
His servants bow with practiced awe as though he were a king.
They stage their silence, tilt the light, and buff the tarnished gold
while he—a hollow mannequin—
revives the myths he’s told.

Below, the market stalls grow bare; the brickwork sheds its skin.
The bells ring not for joy or trade, dull echoing within.
The baker burns the daily bread—the miller sleeps till noon;
the weight of want has bent the world
and darkened all its tunes.

He fancies himself fierce, a proud, fantastic beast,
but his roar is a creaking cough, a tremor from the least.
The great halls echo with his pride, a hollow, humming sound,
built on borrowed, brittle stone
on quickly crumbling ground.

He holds his scepter like a crutch, his movements strained and slow;
a porcelain patriarch whose lies will crack and break.
He speaks of strength but his own breath is short, a hurried pant,
a man of paper, past his prime,
who plays the aspirant.

The mirror on the wall, so loyal, shows him what he wants to see:
a strongman, not a brittle thing, a monument to be.
But truth is not a magic trick, and time will not be told.
The pendulum will swing and find
him waiting, slow and old.

The lights stay lit in palace halls though no one dares to dance;
a thousand watchers—silent, still—frame his every stance.
He thunders not from passion, but from scripts the court has penned—
a ruler made of uproar whom
the actors must defend.

Perhaps he dreams of rising still, of thunder yet to wield,
Not seeing that the sword he holds is bent and cannot shield.
Or maybe he too hears the sound of soil shifting deep
and waits with cracked composure for
the end he cannot speak.

He and his ghoulish cronies, their hollow laughter thin,
will live to see the turning tide begin to wash them in.
And in the cold, clear light of morning when the show is done,
they'll find their golden kingdom just
a whisper of the sun.

The whispers swell in cellar dust where root and rust conspire—
beneath the golden ceilings lies a floor of buried fire.
The past is patient, coiled and cool, but every clock will chime
and kingdoms forged on brittle truths
collapse in borrowed time.

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Reposted by Jordan D. River

Charles Welch - Horror Author @charleswelchauthor.bsky.social · 6d

Nyctophobia by Charles Welch

Should you be afraid of the dark?

a.co/d/iElHIS0

#fyp #horror #readers #booksky #readersky #bookrecommendations #everyone #followers #bookclub #bookish #bookworm #books #booklovers

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Jordan D. River @jordanriverwrites.bsky.social · 7d

Oh yes.

Brain Candy @metaphor-imagine.bsky.social · 7d

#vss365 #pulp #FemmeFatale

She was an #advert for the kind of beauty that rewrites laws. Gravity bent around her. Morality took notes. I watched her walk past a priest and a thief. Both stared. Only one repented. It wasn’t the priest.

Reposted by Jordan D. River

WeirdMicro @weirdmicro.bsky.social · 7d

#31DaysofHorror #WeirdMicro #WritingPrompts

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Jordan D. River @jordanriverwrites.bsky.social · 7d

The Poem Final Draft - v7 Copy (5)- Copy (2) - Final V1 .md
I finished a poem! :)