Homepage Update: "The Spiteful Dead" (Short Story)

My official homepage has been updated, with the short story "The Spiteful Dead" -- another installment in the "Precinct 20: Dead Strange" story cycle.

"The Spiteful Dead"

Quote:
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The corpse in the gutter had been decapitated and the head was nowhere in sight. It was dressed in a black sweater, jogging pants and sneakers, and its stubby hands had been tied behind the back with duct tape.
The headless body was tall, Garris estimated over six feet.
"Find anything else on him?" he asked, and Schmidt handed him a sheet of paper in a clear plastic envelope. On it was a printout of a poem: 

No dawn in sight
I only see the gleam in the mind's weeping eye
And by that dying light I write this prayer
Will you be there on my final day?
Will you mourn this soul?
I shall be there to see
if you can shed a tear for me
For the earth is so cold
and she hates me
And the other poets in their marble tombs
Mutter that I bring down the property value.
 
Garris did not recognize the text, but instinctively he guessed:
"The victim's last words?"
Schmidt flashed a tight-lipped smile. "Yes."
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Read the rest.

Poem: "We Must Support Our Troops"

Inspired by this article:

A.R.Yngve
WE MUST SUPPORT OUR TROOPS

We must support our troops!
Support support support!
Because they protect us!
Protect protect protect!
from Fear!
Fear! Fear! Fear!
Our Troops!
Troops! Troops! Troops!
Fear! Fear! Fear!
Our Men!
Our manly manly manly men!
Manly manly manly murder manly
manly manly female manly manly
manly manly manly target manly
manly manly bullet manly manly
manly manly goggles manly manly
manly manly Viagra manly manly
manly manly manly manly men!
Troops! Troops! Troops!
If you don't support our troops
If you won't support our troops
If you don't shout support our troops
then you are not a manly manly
manly manly manly manly
manly manly manly man!
With a manly manly manly
manly manly manly gun!
And we must support Our Troops!
Our! Our! Our!
Flag! Flag! Flag!
Wave the flag!
Wave! Wave! Wave! Wave!
Beat the drum!
Beat! Beat! Beat! Beat!
Win the hearts! Win the minds!
Win! Win! Win! Win!
You must win every little one of them
The little twisted minds of Our Troops, troops, troops
Tell them that they won! Won! Won! Won!
When they come home
Come! Come! Come! Come!
Home! Home! Home! Home!
if they come
into our towns
into our homes
into our daughters
To support Our Troops
To protect us
Us! Us! Us!
from Them!
Them! Them! Them!
Our Troops!
Troops! Troops! Troops!
For they protect us!
Against Them!
Them! Them! Them!
THEM!
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Alfred Bester Speaks!

By way of Frederik Pohl's blog, comes this fascinating transcript of a conversation between two all-time greats of science-fiction literature -- Alfred Bester and Frederik Pohl:

Alfred Bester and Frederik Pohl — The Conversation

Frederik Pohl has written one of my favorite novels, THE SPACE MERCHANTS. Alfred Bester wrote what I still consider one of the very best SF novels of all time, THE STARS MY DESTINATION.