Sunlight and Cactus and a Polish Poet

(Photo taken by me at the US Botanical Garden in Washington, DC)

As has been the case, I'm working on polishing the manuscript. A polish can also include a couple of new chapters and even a new character. My newest character is a Princess. Always a sign the story is moving along in the right direction when the new character can lay claim to such a title.

But when I was searching for a name to further inspire me, and some sense of historical authenticity surrounding it, I googled Poetry and Apocalypse (which will make sense if the book gets published and you read it:), and found this beautiful piece by Julian Tuwim, a Polish poet.

The Dancing Socrates

I roast in the sun, old wretch…

I lie, and yawn, I stretch.

Old am I, but full of pep:

When I take a slug from the cup

I sing.

My ancient bones bask in the sun's glow,

And my curly, wise, grey head.

In that wise head, like woods in spring

Hums and hums a wiser wine.

Eternal thoughts flow and flow,

Like time.

Kind of ideal when you're writing a vampire story, don't you think?

And by the way, the character's first name is Izabella.