[Inspired by Castle, Season 4 Ep.

9]

Paper Dolls (Draft 1)

by andray nelson Oh such irony among semitonal happenings of rhapsody and sorrow Of the vantage points of one; mere tragedies in a day's tomorrow May life's borrow be stanced in Earth's fabrical linen? For time has been grant but for a moment, never in it's entirety given Within eyes Vigilant neglect the demise of illustrated peripherals The hiss of a kiss heard by the midst of the missed just above it's pinnacles While diamond minerals glisten before the fall of a tear shed Only to reflect the events detailed in depths of every pour tread Said the bled before its wither Fed the blessing before the hither And to the wind we crawl Paper Dolls Paper Dolls Paper Dolls

ERN
This poem was inspired by my favorite Television show, Castle. I usually get inspiration to write from different episodes, and in this one, there was an ex-military Sargent killing random people, aiming from the top of buildings. When the police department discovered his different shooting locations, they would find paper dolls made out of newspaper or magazines. Depending on how many paper dolls are there, were how many were killed. The poem starts out with, Oh such irony among semitonal happenings of rhapsody and sorrow, which simply says how crazy it is how ones persons pain can bring another ones ease. I chose to use the word, semitonal, because a semitone is but a halfstep away, which shows how a chord (or in this matter, life), can change in just the movement of one semitone (or in seconds). The shooter felt a sense of happiness when killing these people, and so while he is content, the victim family is in despair.

Paper Dolls (Draft 2)

What exists in the void among semitonal events of rhapsody and sorrow? Of the vantage points of one; mere tragedies in a day's tomorrow May life's borrow be traced in Earth's fabricated linen? For time has been grant but for a moment, never in it's entirety given Within vigilant eyes neglect the demise of illustrated peripherals The hiss of a kiss heard by the midst of the missed just above it's pinnacles While diamond minerals glisten before the fall of a tear shed Only to reflect the events detailed in depths of every pour tread Said the bled before its wither Fed the blessing before the hither And to the wind we crawl Paper Dolls Paper Dolls Paper Dolls ERN I tweeted just a little bit of things that didnt sound tasteful, but I want to preserve the poem for what it is. Life is short, is a theme that can be taken from the content, and the poem reflects that through its short and compacted form. Paper Dolls (Draft 3)

Why do I have to represent the lives of innocent people lost? Carved out by a sorry excuse of an American militant boss. I wish it is me that can be in front of that barrel, but my thin texture wouldnt even slow down the bullet. Could it be that you are trying to fill a emptiness that the government has instilled in you? Or are you just that carnal? ERN In this draft, I decided to take upon the mindset of the Paper Doll as Reese spoke from a books perspective, and Michael Gross from a Guns one. It isnt as effective because a paper doll isnt a common, everyday thing that people come across.

Paper Dolls (Draft 3) Why do I have to represent the lives of innocent people lost? Carved out by a sorry excuse of an American militant boss. I wish it is me that can be in front of that barrel, but my thin texture wouldnt even slow down the bullet. Could it be that you are trying to fill a emptiness that the government has instilled in you? Or are you just that carnal? I touch my texture and wonder if I am reincarnation of a voodoo doll, because it seems to be that whenever I appear, I am ominous, hinting that death is around the corner. Why am I subscribed to the puppet of the reaper? ERN Even though the personification of the paper doll is a dead end for me, I decided to still push forward to see what can come about of the mess. For some reason, when thinking about the nature of the doll, what it hints, what it alludes to, I couldnt help but compare it to a voodoo doll. Portrayed in many cartoon series, such as The Simpsons, I can remember people being scared of the sight of a voodoo doll. The only difference is that, with this paper doll, it is a bullet you ultimately die from, not a needle. Paper Dolls (Draft 4) Why do I have to represent the lives of innocent people lost? Carved out by a sorry excuse of an American militant boss.

I wish it is me that can be in front of that barrel, but my thin texture wouldnt even slow down the bullet. Could it be that you are trying to fill a emptiness that the government has instilled in you? Or are you just that carnal? I touch my texture and wonder if I am reincarnation of a voodoo doll, because it seems to be that whenever I appear, I am ominous, hinting that death is around the corner. Why am I subscribed to the puppet of the reaper? Isnt the voodoo doll enough? Help me from my fate. I loath seeing the scarlet shed right before my eyes. I can not help be feel the need to help those lives that know not what darkness will fall upon them. Help me, for I am just a paper doll ERN A big part of grief is the stage of being consoled; crying out for help. With this in mind, I added the second paragraph with a tone of heavy sorrow opposed to the earlier sadness relaxation. I loath seeing the scarlet shed right before my eyes. I can not help be feel the need to help those lives that know not what darkness will fall upon them, is a line where I tried to paint the imagery clear enough for the reader to see what the paper doll sees, the shedding of innocent blood, killed in an instant, destined for the afterlife.

Paper Dolls (Draft 5) Why do I have to represent the lives of innocent people lost? Carved out by a sorry excuse of an American militant boss. I wish it is me that can be in front of that barrel, but my thin texture wouldnt even slow down the bullet. Could it be that you are trying to fill a emptiness that the government has instilled in you? Or are you just that carnal? I touch my texture and wonder if I am reincarnation of a voodoo doll, because it seems to be that whenever I appear, I am ominous, hinting that death is around the corner. Why am I subscribed to the puppet of the reaper? Isnt the voodoo doll enough? Help me from my fate. I loath seeing the scarlet shed right before my eyes. I cannot help be feel the need to help those lives that know not what darkness will fall upon them. I try to yell for their sake, but I do not have slits on the silhouette of my face. Why couldnt I be made out of paper of a Holy Book? Maybe one day the trigger would cease to sling because you read his word through me. Help me, for I am just a paper doll ERN In this portion, I tried to expand on the idea of regret while adding a religious touch to it. Since the poem is really about life and death, I felt religion was welcome to this issue, because there isnt one religion I know that doesnt talk about the afterlife, predestination, etc. So I spoke about the Bible and how the paper doll wishes that he would have been made

from verses and scriptures that the shooters eyes would hopefully, one day, fall on, see the weight of what he is doing, and turn from his own ways. In a sense, the shooter is assuming the position of the power of God, ending lives at the flick of a finger, and I want to add that in, but I am speaking from the Dolls perspective, not the shooters. Paper Dolls (Draft 6) For all the pain I have endured through the past, how am I not entitled to inflict it? Returning it to these unconcerned Americans who can care less about their country while I live on the brink of death, fighting for their ignorance. Your blood is no different from the blood splattered on my skin from these third world countries. Now kneel before me as I smile and delight in this baptism. The thirst to kill kills me. ERN Since there was so much talk about writing from the perspective of the shooter, I tried it to see what I can produce. I know he would be feeling hatred towards the people of America, and he enjoys seeing lives taken, but it felt rather uncomfortable writing from his angle. It is hard to write it from a sane state and trying to make it sound convincing. I found myself stopping mid-thought at times because I wasnt sure what to write next. It was different toying with perspectives, but I think draft two illustrates more of what I want to aim for, which is to commemorate the Castle episode. One thing I think would help is if I watch it over again to pick up on things that I may have missed, which can add more length to the poem.