Richard H Fay - Artist/Illustrator/Poet/Polymath
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Richard H Fay - Artist/Illustrator/Poet/Polymath
@azurelionprod.bsky.social
1.6K followers 1.1K following 9.8K posts
multi-genre artist, illustrator, poet
print-on-demand artist & photographer
My PoD shops:
https://tee.pub/lic/sp_YC96pfhI
https://www.redbubble.com/people/RHFay/shop?asc=u
https://www.zazzle.com/store/richardfay
My poetry collection:
https://a.co/d/7iEjfrM
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Richard H Fay - Artist/Illustrator/Poet/Polymath @azurelionprod.bsky.social · Nov 4
AzureLionProductions TeePublic Store
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Azure Lion Productions Redbubble Shop
redbubble.com/people/RHFay...
Azure Lion Productions Zazzle Store
zazzle.com/store/richar...
AZP_Photos Zazzle Store
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#zazzle #teepublic #redbubble #art #photos
Azure Lion Productions Zazzle Store Header
azurelionprod.bsky.social
Since I mentioned the fact that I've seen some of my short stories published, I thought I'd once again share the link to what I deem to be a perfect example of my prose fiction: "Father Ryan's Fright".
www.anotherealm.com/2013/ar11011...
#shortstory #prosefiction
February 13, 2026 at 9:56 PM
azurelionprod.bsky.social
For today's Black History Month look at the works of black poets, I'm looking at another poem by Arna Bontemps — "The Day-Breakers".
www.poetrysoup.com/famous/poem/...
I believe this poem is about fighting for freedom. There's a sense of futility in the middle, but of some hope at the end.
#poets
The Day-Breakers by Arna Bontemps
We are not come to wage a strifeWith swords upon this hill,It is not wise to waste the lifeAgainst a stubborn will.Yet would we... Poem summary, analysis, and meaning
www.poetrysoup.com
February 13, 2026 at 9:48 PM
azurelionprod.bsky.social
Dude, you should read some of my human-created (and published) prose fiction!

Being influenced by the classics, when I write prose fiction, I tend to go for richness of language. I use language for all it's worth.
Ben Casnocha @bencasnocha Telltale sign of AI-generated writing: Too long. Too many words. Too much detail. Too many examples. The modern mark of a human amid the onslaught of AI slop: brevity 4:26 PM · Feb 12, 2026 · 7,743 Views
February 13, 2026 at 9:40 PM
azurelionprod.bsky.social
Currently over on Twitter/X, I'm posting daily examples of poems written by black poets and books that I've read that were written by women, which kind of makes me the antithesis of a misogynistic racist pretentious prick who claims he reads ONLY books written by white men.
February 13, 2026 at 9:35 PM
azurelionprod.bsky.social
I thought WUTHERING HEIGHTS was dreadful and I couldn't get through it.

I've read classics like IVANHOE and GULLIVER'S TRAVELS and have even read Middle English verse romances in Middle English, so it's not that I lack the ABILITY to read such a work. I simply can't stand it!
Edmund @Kulambq Calling 'Wuthering Heights' boring says far more about the reader than the novel itself. Yes, it's complex, but also a work of consummate skill and beauty. It's definitely not boring. A reader like Katherine Anne Porter is far more reliable on this: 'And of course we read all the eighteenth-century novelists, though Jane Austen, like Turgenev, didn’t really engage me until I was quite mature. I read them both when I was very young, but I was grown up before I really took them in. And I discovered for myself Wuthering Heights; I think I read that book every year of my life for fifteen years. I simply adored it.' Toby Young @toadmeister Sales of Wuthering Heights have skyrocketed, but most copies are reportedly going unread. But it's not because Gen Z is too dumb to read books, says Guy de la Bédoyère. It's because it's unreadable.
February 13, 2026 at 9:18 PM
azurelionprod.bsky.social
Certain aspects of the quality of writing are in the eye of the beholder (or reader, or critter, or editor), but there are some "industry standards". For instance, quality writing flows. Establishing flow is an important part of the writing process and of producing quality work.
Adam Johnson @adamjohnsonCHI I’m sorry but no one believes this. It’s hip to turn this discussion into fart sniffing abstraction but we absolutely know the difference between high level writing and slop. Anyone acting like we don’t is either paid to act obtuse or doesn’t, themselves, know how to write. Mark A. Henry @markahenrybooks No one knows what high quality prose is. They only know what other people think high quality prose is, provided those other people have publicly repeated what yet someone else has said about the prose in question. 2:25 PM · Feb 13, 2026 · 9,313 Views
February 13, 2026 at 9:11 PM
azurelionprod.bsky.social
I wonder if these "science fiction isn't literature" folks realize that some classic works of science fiction, such as THE FIRST MEN IN THE MOON and THE TIME MACHINE by Wells, were also satire (in the first case) or political commentary (in the second).

There's a depth to them!
Philippe-Antoine Hoyeck @PAHoyeck It boggles my mind that some people don't consider science fiction to be real literature. Some science fiction is light, trivial, or bad, of course, but a lot of it is among the most philosophically rich fiction ever put to the page. 12:53 PM · Feb 13, 2026 · 6,224 Views
February 13, 2026 at 9:04 PM
azurelionprod.bsky.social
I recently had a snob say that my taste in literature is somewhat middlebrow because I name-checked Shirley Jackson and not Austen, Eliot, Gaitskell, Woolf, or Wharton.

Has he read much Jackson? The opening paragraph of THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE is a literary masterpiece!
February 13, 2026 at 8:59 PM
azurelionprod.bsky.social
I've had some writers of so-called serious science fiction get offended at me for using "sci-fi" as shorthand for science fiction. I no longer take such obnoxious writers of so-called serious science fiction seriously. I consider it all to be a great big joke.
February 13, 2026 at 8:53 PM
azurelionprod.bsky.social
I feel the same regarding genre fiction in general.
Is DRACULA not real literature just because it's horror?
Are Lord Dunsany's fantasy tales not real literature just because they're fantasy?
Are Shirley Jackson's dark stories and novels not real literature because they're dark?
Post Conversation Philippe-Antoine Hoyeck @PAHoyeck It boggles my mind that some people don't consider science fiction to be real literature. Some science fiction is light, trivial, or bad, of course, but a lot of it is among the most philosophically rich fiction ever put to the page. 12:53 PM · Feb 13, 2026 · 5,625 Views
February 13, 2026 at 8:51 PM
azurelionprod.bsky.social
New collection in my AZP_Photos Zazzle Store: Photo Bookplates.
www.zazzle.com/collections/... via @zazzle
It currently contains eight different designs.
#zazzle #collections #bookplates #photos
www.zazzle.com
February 13, 2026 at 7:48 AM
azurelionprod.bsky.social
What if we're all dead and damned and this world is truly Hell?
February 13, 2026 at 6:42 AM
azurelionprod.bsky.social
The Worst...

The worst humans are monsters.
The worst monsters are human.
The worst mortals are devils.
The worst devils are mortals.
The worst people are ogres.
The worst ogres are people.
The worst men are fiends.
The worst fiends are men.
The worst society is Hell.
The worst Hell is society.
February 13, 2026 at 6:36 AM
azurelionprod.bsky.social
Airplanes and birds use different means of propulsion, but both use airfoils to generate lift, and that lift enables flight.

I learned that from a book that came with a flying model plane kit I tried to build when I was a kid.
azurelionprod.bsky.social Richard H Fay - Artist/Illustrator/Poet/Polymath @azurelionprod.bsky.social · 1d
Wow! Just, wow!
This ignoramus obviously knows nothing about the physics of flight or aerodynamics, especially the concept of lift.
Birds' wings generate lift. So do airplane wings. Lift is what enables flight.
Post Conversation Nabeel S. Qureshi @nabeelqu Airplanes cannot "fly". You may see aircraft in the sky going to 40,000 feet, but only birds can "fly". Stop saying airplanes can "fly". They're great tools, but they aren't birds. The idea that airplanes will "fly" is a dangerous fantasy. https://x.com/jakebackpack/s
February 13, 2026 at 6:11 AM
azurelionprod.bsky.social
It's true — over the past few years, people have gotten A LOT dumber!
February 13, 2026 at 6:01 AM
azurelionprod.bsky.social
Wow! Just, wow!
This ignoramus obviously knows nothing about the physics of flight or aerodynamics, especially the concept of lift.
Birds' wings generate lift. So do airplane wings. Lift is what enables flight.
Post Conversation Nabeel S. Qureshi @nabeelqu Airplanes cannot "fly". You may see aircraft in the sky going to 40,000 feet, but only birds can "fly". Stop saying airplanes can "fly". They're great tools, but they aren't birds. The idea that airplanes will "fly" is a dangerous fantasy. https://x.com/jakebackpack/s
February 13, 2026 at 6:00 AM
azurelionprod.bsky.social
With the short story "The Horla" (1887), Guy de Maupassant wrote cosmic horror before H. P. Lovecraft was even born (1890).
February 13, 2026 at 5:44 AM
azurelionprod.bsky.social
Added my photo of "Bumblebees on Marigold" to a bookplate in my AZP_Photos store and created a cover image for the item showing what it looks like in an old book.

Bumblebees on Marigold Bookplate www.zazzle.com/bumblebees_o... via @zazzle

#zazzle #zazzlemade #bees #flower #bookplate
Bumblebees on Marigold Bookplate
February 13, 2026 at 5:05 AM
azurelionprod.bsky.social
Spellcheck claimed the way I spelled "cumberbund" is wrong. I checked Merriam-Webster's online dictionary. It seems "cumberbund" is a less common variant of "cummerbund".
www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/c...
I've always spelled it with two "b"s.

Leave it to me t use a less-common variant!
February 13, 2026 at 4:06 AM
azurelionprod.bsky.social
I've even written horrorku (horror-themed haiku), and still write them on occasion. Here are two recent examples:

wrapped cumberbund / exposed intestines bound /
zombie prom

alone in the dark / a voice not my own / sobs softly

#poems #poetry #haiku #horrorku
azurelionprod.bsky.social Richard H Fay - Artist/Illustrator/Poet/Polymath @azurelionprod.bsky.social · 1d
Four recent examples of my dark poetry (yes, I'm still writing dark poetry on occasion)...
February 13, 2026 at 4:03 AM
azurelionprod.bsky.social
Four recent examples of my dark poetry (yes, I'm still writing dark poetry on occasion)...
Murder in the Rain By Richard H. Fay Rain falls. Rivulets flow down This lonely dark lane. Blood drips From my gore-stained axe, Reddening the stream. Streaks mar Your once ruddy cheeks Now turned ghastly pale. Deed done, I slowly tromp on As the rain still falls. Buried Secrets By Richard H. Fay Muffled by the earth Piled on your grave, Muted words never heard By your deafened ears Fall from trembling lips And misdeeds unknown Stay ever secret. Silenced by your death, Sharp tongue cannot wag, Stilled voice will not tell, Crimes remain concealed. Voices in the Forest By Richard H. Fay Deep in a dark forest, Strange voices softly speak In a language long lost To civilized mankind. Whispering shades beckon To bewildered human In words long forgotten By a more settled race. Strangely savage souls draw That bewitched mortal lad Deeper into the wood To meet a sudden doom. A Mystery Better Left Alone By Richard H. Fay As I undo the rusty latch Binding this fusty tome, I eagerly await answers To arcane questions Sane folk never dare ask. Beneath the bound cover, Within crackling pages Rendered from human flesh, I seek to learn forbidden lore, And solve the riddle of life. Reading words penned in blood, Gaining knowledge forsaken by all, I forfeit my very soul To resolve a mystery Better left alone.
February 13, 2026 at 3:55 AM
azurelionprod.bsky.social
Since I previously mentioned the fact that I write dark speculative poetry, here are four examples of my darker works (all of which have seen publication in various edited small-press venues)...
Life is the Life by Richard H. Fay Roused from decades of sepulchral slumber By savage cannonades and rifle fire, Departing the dark comfort of my tomb, I roam a mad world ripped apart by war. Venturing forth like a smoky blue veil Wafting across this cratered countryside, Searching for the base essence of being, I am drawn to fields of lingering death. Drifting amidst battle-broken bodies, Ignoring agonizing cries of pain, Invisible to dimming mortal eyes, I harvest embers of vitality. Finding a suitably ravaged vessel, Sensing sustenance within battered flesh, I drain lifeblood to feed this hungry soul - A dying youth becomes my golden cup. Energies flow from spirit to spirit Fuelling my ethereal existence. Leaving behind the soldier's empty husk I retreat into deepening shadows Revitalized. Originally published in The Monsters Next Door, Contest Issue 4.5, November 15, 2008. Poetry winner, “Through My Eyes” writing contest. The Damnation of Daniel Brewster by Richard H. Fay Decades of debauchery Erode both body and soul 'Til mortal becomes mere shade Devoid of substance and light. The living are like strangers As the dead draw all too near. Weary of this wretchedness, Searching for scraps of solace, Hoping to find warm comfort, Remembering kinder days, Daniel Brewster returns home To his old New Bedlam haunt. Time and neglect take their toll, Sapping life's pleasing lustre From forsaken roof and walls. Heavy feet climb creaking stairs, Sweaty hand turns rusted knob, Bent form enters crooked house. Seeking signs of simpler times With blackened heart beating hard, Daniel finds cobwebs and dust. Twilight's dimming glow snuffs out As strangely stirring shadows Ensnare him in choking gloom. By himself but not alone, Daniel faces his fell past. Throngs of cast-off lovers hold Never-born sons and daughters Snuggled against bloodied breasts While wrecked spirits wreak ruin. Knives reflect feral gleamings Of eyes glinting in the murk. Fey spectres chant together "Welcome back to New Bedlam, Welcome to your damnation," 'Til drowned out by endless screams. Originally published in The New Bedlam Project, Vol. 1, Issue 1, April 2009. Corpse-Candles by Richard H. Fay Glittering bright orbs Move through naked trees, Dancing and darting Like restless children Playing hide-and-seek In a quaint garden. Souls lost in the night Soar in the still air. They gather near me, But stay out of reach. They lead me deeper Into the dark wood. As a moth to flame I follow the lights. Blackness surrounds me. Only the flicker Of spectral candles Guides my reckless steps. The ancient oaks part To reveal headstones Hidden in the wood. A forlorn graveyard Choked with thorny weeds Lays beneath the stars. Lights cavort above The overgrown graves, Then descend groundward. I spy pale phantoms Pining for warm flesh Long reduced to dust. The sad shades beckon And draw me along A perilous ridge. Blindly I stumble And tumble headfirst Down a rocky grade. Broken and bloodied, My body grows cold. As life ebbs away From this mortal shell, My spirit will join That fey troupe of lights. Originally published June 2008 in Niteblade) Cosmic Grind by Richard H. Fay Placate otherworld gods With sex and violence. Sacrifice flesh and blood To tentacled idols. Feel the pulsating throb Of an eldritch drumbeat. Let that sound drown your soul In orgiastic bliss. Enter the manic press; Gyrate with strange beings. Lose your body and mind To that fanatic mob. Copulate with creatures Painted red head-to-toe. Embrace inhuman forms In rites of carnal lust. Lay a crimson-skinned wretch Upon a black altar. Slit the thing’s offered throat To open cosmic doors. Shudder with ecstasy As the gore-stained ground quakes. Spy the summoned arrive In a protean mass. March toward a mad god Quivering with delight. Leap though its gnashing maw To be ground into dust. Originally published in Infernal Ink Magazine, Vol. 1, Issue 2, October 2012
February 13, 2026 at 3:45 AM
azurelionprod.bsky.social
This past November, I was told "it's 2025, no one gives a shit about a poet".

Well, it's now 2026. Let's make this the year folks start giving a shit about poets and poetry! I'm certainly doing my small part to make that happen.

#poets #poet #poetry
February 13, 2026 at 3:30 AM
azurelionprod.bsky.social
Adding my photo of "Bumblebees on Marigold Flower" to more items in my AZP_Photos Zazzle Store. Here it is on an all-over print tote bag.

Bumblebees on Marigold Flower Tote Bag
www.zazzle.com/bumblebees_o...

#zazzlemade #zazzle #totebag #bumblebees #marigold #bees #flower
Bumblebees on Marigold Flower Tote Bag
February 13, 2026 at 12:47 AM
azurelionprod.bsky.social
For a little while, I attended a local poets' corner held in a backroom in an area library. I mentioned the fact that I write (among other things) dark speculative poetry. That fact made certain fellow poets visibly uncomfortable. Looked like they thought I might murder them all!
February 13, 2026 at 12:46 AM