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About This Author
My name is Joy, and I love to write.
Why poetry, here? Because poetry uplifts its writer, and if she is lucky enough, her readers, too. Around us, so many objects abound to write about. Once a poet starts with a smallest, most trivial object, he shall discover that his pen will spill out what is most delicate or most majestic hidden inside him. Since the classics sometimes dealt with lofty subjects with a lofty language, a person with poetry in his soul may incline to emulate that. That is understandable. Poetry does that to a person: it enlarges the soul and gives it wings. Yet, to really soar, a poet needs to take off from the ground.
 
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Everyday Canvas
"Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself."
CHARLIE CHAPLIN
Sometimes it takes darkness and the sweet
confinement of your aloneness
to learn
anything or anyone
that does not bring you alive
is too small for you.
David Whyte
This is my supplementary blog in which I will post entries written for prompts.
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Prompt: Have you ever seen a falling star? Did you make a wish? Write about this in your Blog entry today.
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Yes, I saw those a couple of times but then, I'm so earthbound that I hardly lift my head to look at the heavens. Definitely, those falling stars have captivated the imaginations and sparked desires to make wishes upon their celestial trails.
Yet, they are not stars, at all, but tiny specks of dust or debris entering our atmosphere and burning up. If I am not mistaken they are called meteoroids.
As to my making a wish, it didn't even come to me to make one, but then, most of my reactions are after the fact, highlighted with words and thoughts that usually start with, "I wish I had..." "I wish I did..." "I wish I was..." etc.
If I had made a wish then, I would probably feel connected not only to the cosmos but also to the people and everything else around me. But no, usually I am so stunned that my reactions suffer. Still, whether I make a wish upon a falling star or not, I think of the universe as one of beauty and awe.
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Prompt: Your Country
What do you think is most misunderstood thing about your home country by other people in the world: its culture, education, wealth, friendliness of people, or anything else you can think of?
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I don't think there's any one thing that is the most misunderstood about the USA, but many things. I'll start with a personal story.
Several years ago, I sent a photo of myself in my kitchen to a friend living in another country overseas. She wrote back, saying, "Your kitchen looks like any kitchen we have back here. I was imagining a much more modern one with electronic everything." Well, she was imagining all right. My kitchen has all the appliances and what I need; plus it's like any other kitchen in this country. Surely, some billionaire may have a kitchen like she imagined, but here, most of us aren't billionaires, and even a good number of the billionaires' kitchens probably wouldn't reach up to the heights of her imagination.
Yet, this is only one example, but it illustrates the fact why the USA is a most misunderstood country due to its size, diversity, and influence. Granted it is complex and the lifestyles here extend from one end of the spectrum to the other with some living in drab conditions and a few others in utmost luxury.
On the plus side, USA is a hub of innovation, scientific research, and space exploration. it has also been a key player in global dealings, humanitarian aid, and diplomacy. It is a given that such a country can be viewed by the world as an aggressive global power. Whether this power is able to exert any influence over the globe is up for discussion.
Yes, USA is a capitalist country and individualistic, but it has a free market economy and --I hope-- a strong belief in personal freedoms. If this weren't true, despite our population of 30 million, would we have people from other countries at our borders trying to get in, one way or another, to become US citizens?
Still, I think the USA's strength comes from its diverse population and culture. As Felix Mendelssohn said, "The essence of the beautiful is unity in variety."
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Prompt: Karma
Do you believe in karma and what does karma mean to you? Does it have anything to do with morality and culture, or is it a result of being accursed?
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Do I believe in karma? Well, just maybe, because more often than not, I have seen the guilty get what has been due to them. Then, at other times, nada! Sometimes, karma gets postponed, I guess.
The idea behind karma has to do with the consequences of our actions as they hit us with our deeds coming back at us in one form or another. It may just be a cosmic balancing of some sort, the universe's keeping score and punishing the guilty. While karma is an ancient concept, and possibly a mystical force, we mention it--while we gossip and talk--with the hope that it takes some kind of a vengeance for us, since it is supposedly a reward system of cause and effect.
And yes, karma may have something to do with some situations or cultures, and morality, too. According to the traditions in India, karma is not just about this lifetime. It stretches across several or all lifetimes for debts unpaid and rewards not reaped.
Whether I believe in karma or not, it is a good idea to regard it as a gentle nudge from the universe, reminding us to mind of our actions and their effects to the world. Accordingly, our personal actions of kindness, compassion, and empathy can only make the world a better place.
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Prompt: When the elevator opened.... have fun!
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When the elevator opened its doors with a soft ding, revealing a darkened interior, the office worker Gina stepped forward, her footsteps echoing in the silence of the hallway as she entered the elevator. She was feeling sad today as she mused over her existence. There was nothing colorful and exciting in her mundane everyday life.
She pressed a button and leaned against the wall, grateful for the brief respite from the demands of her busy life. As the elevator began its ascent, Gina's tired eyes caught a glimmer of light just inside the closed elevator door. She reached out and took the delicate, intricately designed key lying on the floor.
The key shone on her palm, as if it were a lamp itself. It seemed to radiate an energy that resonated deep within her, causing a sudden surge of excitement for a mysterious adventure, the likes of which she had only read about or imagined.
As if guided by an invisible force, Gina's eyes caught the sight of a small, hidden keyhole nestled discreetly beside the elevator buttons. Without thinking, she inserted the key into a it.
A compartment opened with an audible click, while a soft humming filled the air. The elevator's interior trembled as it itself transformed with a golden glow that emanated from the walls that were suddenly adorned with ornate patterns.
Then, the doors opened once again, and Gina gasped. Gone was the elevator and her familiar office building; instead, she found herself standing on a lush, green meadow with the air perfumed by the scent of wildflowers.
Gina took several steps on the meadow, hoping to leave behind the worries of her ordinary life. As she walked, she came across several mythical creatures: A unicorn grazing peacefully, a wise owl wearing eyeglasses as it perched on a branch, and beautiful fairies and mischievous imps playing and flitting between the flowers. She joined them, as she skipped and danced with the butterflies and sang with the birds. Inside the enchantment of this hidden world, time seemed to stand still.
If only for a while... until she found herself again in the dull, drab elevator.
Yet, when its doors opened unto her floor, she emerged, her heart brimming with a newfound appreciation for the wonders she had just experienced. Though her office building with its seemingly ordinary façade and her cluttered desk on the fourth floor were as they always had been, she now had the memories of an extraordinary journey that showed her the beauty and adventure even within the most mundane of places or days.
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Flowers
Prompt: There are a lot of unofficial Holidays in May. Water a Flower Day. Write about flowers for your Blog entry today.
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"Water a flower Day" How interesting! Let alone flowers, I might even forget to water my house plants. Although, so far so good, I haven't forgotten them and neither did I forget to water the plants in a corner of the porch. Sometimes, I get too busy to remember the few roses outside, which I put in, not realizing that they belong to a different climate and that they need watering more than once a day around where I live
Flowers, especially roses, come in so many different colors, shapes, and sizes, and they always bring a smile to my face. Then, looking at a field of wildflowers or a beautiful bouquet sitting in a vase, something about them, makes life a little brighter.
Flowers are perfect for almost any occasion: birthdays, mother's day, weddings, holidays and even funerals. They make excellent decorations, but unfortunately they don't last forever. But then, no good thing ever does.
Brevity
Prompt from The Art of Brevity by Grant Faulkner
One of the most erotic moments of my youth was when a boy's knee touched mine. Brevity is about the tiniest of moments, the fleeting. That is when life opens with either hope or expectation. Consider this was the moment sensuous or something changed in that moment. Now, think about it as the author who isn't dominating or ruling the story but actually feeling it come to life on the page. Use this as your inspiration today. Have fun!
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The funny thing is, this prompt is longer than what just came to my mind when I first read it. I am guessing this is all about interpersonal effectiveness and connection rather than words.
Assuming that the owner of the quote was a teen, he is in the learning stage of recognizing short, non-verbal clues. In this case, it might also be that there was no message in the touch and it was pure accident, but it opened the receiver's eyes to a possibility inside himself, making him aware of his own potential. Sometimes, non-verbal messages add to our words. At other times, they do nothing but distract. Since this quote has all the hints of something sexual, it is bound to attract notice.
On the other hand, I found it to be honest, down-to-earth, and not intentionally deceptive. It is just what it is. Something non-verbal with brevity. Whether it is communication or not is left to the reader's understanding.
Although people may send non-verbal messages deliberately or accidentally, their meaning depends on how they are interpreted by the receiver. Then, an action such as this one, a facial expression, a bodily movement, voice, tone, or touch, may effect the ability to use and interpret nonverbal behavior and cues in interpersonal give-and-take.
And yes, I guess this could be the opening of a story about a teen, but as an aged writer, I have no intention of writing stories from the viewpoint of a teen for those years I have left far behind, and I have no intention of reliving them. 
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Prompt: pathological liars
Have you ever met a pathological liar? How do you think a pathological liar talks and could they have any good friendships that last?
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I don't know why any person habitually lies or exaggerates the truth, and with no reason. Unless they are writers and they are trying to come up with a good story. 
Yet, I have met such a person. At the time, my thinking was that this person found reality too bland to swallow and she had to fancy it up, but the psycho-data tells me otherwise.
This behavior is often associated with personality disorders: mostly narcissistic personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, or antisocial personality disorder. I didn't look these disorders up just because they'd be over my head and would be too difficult to write about in a blog entry.
Such people hide their achievements, experiences, and even their identity and/or embellish them. They may also create elaborate stories about themselves or others to gain attention or sympathy from their listeners. After you've caught a dent or two in their many different accounts of events, you know you can't believe anything these people say, ever! Such made-up stories lead to broken relationships, loss of friends, and even legal trouble.
One person like that told me her husband threw her down from the roof of their three-story house and she came out unscathed. This person used to do house-cleaning for me. Now, I wonder what stories she would make (or did make) about me. Luckily, she quit before I could fire her.
Possibly, this kind of behavior has underlying psychological or neurological causes. I think such people who can't help themselves not to lie should seek the help of a professional, seriously!
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Prompt: Laundry:
What do you think about doing laundry in general? Did you have any unusual experiences with it? And what do you think the idiom "airing one's dirty laundry" came from?
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I really don't think much about laundry. It has to be done and I just do it.
Of the various methods of doing laundry, including hand-washing, machine-washing, and dry-cleaning, my favorite is the easiest: machine-washing. Anyone knows using a washing machine and laundry detergent and sorting the clothes so the colors don't mess up the whites and taking care of the delicate fabrics to avoid damaging them.
After the machine washing, using the dryer is my favorite method, but I do remember the wet clothes hung on the ropes that stretched from poles or from trees, in the home that I grew up in.
I never had any unusual experiences or mishaps with doing the laundry, but talking about drying laundry outdoors, my mother's maid did. When she was hanging the clothes on the line, a big black crow swept in and flew away with one of the items, an underwear to be exact. I don't know what that bird thought it would do with it, but that gave the whole family something to laugh about for a long time.
As to "airing one's dirty laundry", it means telling scandalous or unflattering stories about yourself and revealing things from your private life. About its origins, an internet search gave me this information:
"First used in English in 1867, this idiom derived from an old French proverb, Il fault laver son linge sale en famille, meaning “One should wash one's dirty laundry at home.” Napoleon used this proverb when he returned from his exile in Elba in 1815."
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"You don’t start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it’s good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it."
Octavia E. Butler
Think about when you began writing, the struggles and the successes... did you think you were going to get there.
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Yes, Octavia Butler has a point and there's a great deal of truth to what she said. All writers experience some struggle, whether in the beginning of their writing journey or at any time later.
When we writers start a new project, we're all excited and we think we're coming up with something great. Then, either we're discouraged with the results and we realize that there is much room for improvement or we drop the whole project altogether.
Granted, the ideas behind the work may be good, but their presentation might be redundant, overly used, or nothing really special. Yet, getting discouraged is not the answer; however, continuing with writing to get experience is. We need to realize even the most used and trite ideas can be said in an original way, our way.
Come to think of it, I have been rather lucky. One of my uncles discovered that I was writing short poetry on my own when I was very young and he helped and encouraged me. Then, at school, my high-school lit teacher congratulated me in front of the whole class for something I had written. To this day, no matter what I did afterwards, I recall that moment as my crown of victory. I owe whatever else came up later to these two people's encouragement right in the beginning of my writing passion.
Then, possibly, what I wrote then might have been "crap," but I kept writing, nevertheless. That is why I think encouragement does a lot for a new writer and even an old one handling a new project.
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Prompt: Don't call it a dream. Call it a plan. Write about this in your Blog entry today
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Thanks for the prompt,  Megan.
I feel I've crossed the bridge over the idea of dreams and plans. But my curiosity is still intact. And recently I've been reading up on AI.
Thus, I asked ChatGPT to write up on dreams and plans. Although the tone of its essay is cut and dry, I think it came up with something good enough. Here it is:
ChatGPT says:
"Dreams and plans are two intertwined concepts that are essential to success and fulfillment in life. Dreams are the mental images we have of what we desire or aspire to achieve, while plans are the practical steps we take to make those dreams a reality.
Dreams are what give meaning and direction to our lives. They are the fuel that drives us to pursue our passions, to overcome obstacles and challenges, and to strive for greatness. Dreams can be big or small, short-term or long-term, personal or professional, realistic or idealistic. Whatever the nature of our dreams, they are what give us hope and motivation to keep pushing forward.
However, dreams alone are not enough to make them come true. To achieve our dreams, we need to have a plan in place. Plans are the strategies, tactics, and actions we take to turn our dreams into reality. They involve setting goals, mapping out a timeline, identifying the resources needed, and taking steps to make progress towards our objectives. Plans require discipline, focus, and hard work, but they are the blueprint for success.
It's important to note that dreams and plans are not static. They evolve over time, and we need to be adaptable and flexible in our approach to achieving them. As we gain new experiences, knowledge."
What do you think fellow writers? Have we been proven obsolete? I think just not yet!
On the other hand, it took 18 seconds for ChatGPT to come up with this essay. 
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Prompt: Gossip
How do you handle a person who starts telling you gossips about people you love or even people you don't know? Do you listen with interest or with boredom or do you make the gossiping person stop in some way?
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Some psychologists say that gossip, as it can be positive or neutral, is not necessarily negative. Maybe so, but isn't it boring, in the long run?
Imagine a person who knows nothing but to talk about others and to gossip! How long would anyone stand listening to that person!
Speaking for myself, I don't mind a bit of positive gossip if it informs me about people I know or situations that are important to me. Gossip, however, can take a nasty turn, sometimes, by putting other people down when those people are not present to defend themselves against cutting remarks. This is not acceptable to me whether what is said is true or false.
Although some gossip can be insightful, it's still gossip even when it is about celebrities' spicy scandals. Plus, no one learns anything from evil-minded gossip even if it may help the gossiper's mood. I think, people who constantly gossip about others in a negative way may have issues inside themselves they need to solve.
Still, I don't have to listen to that kind of talk, so I try to change the subject if the gossip's negativity gets out of hand. Better yet, I usually avoid talking to people who have nothing nice to say about others.
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Prompt: AI
What are your thoughts on AI? Should we rejoice or should we be afraid of it?
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I asked this question because I am not sure of the answers myself. Come to think of it, no one is, considering that some of the founders of AI (from Google) have resigned, and they are afraid of it.
Then, too much power is always a frightening concept to swallow and people have been frightened at the onset of almost every new discovery. It is our human frailty or our defense, if you will, to be afraid of things we can't fully comprehend.
Then, my take is, how should we treat something we are not too sure of. From a distance or by getting closer to it? I am guessing, and only guessing, that learning more about it shouldn't be too risky. Anyway, AI is either at the door or it is coming in, once its childhood is over.
Thus, taking advice from the saying, "If you can't beat them, join'em" I accepted NewsGPT to send me its news. NewsGPT is AI generated news and they have a website: newsgpt.AI
When you look at it, it isn't .com or .edu or .org. It is an entity all by itself. It is .AI and its news is straight with no ads, cut and dry. Very dry, in fact. And nothing like the regular news we are so used to.
This made me think that the writing professions had to be AI's first target. Any writing by a person somehow feels warmer, more human. And who says AI is human! It is a machine. A machine liable to take over the writing industry. And maybe it may just learn to be more human than we are. Aren't you still threatened?
For that reason alone, we need to get to know it better. So we can survive together with AI.
Having said that, I have never used the ChatGPT. I am not much of a chatter and I don't know what it entails, but the AI news I can read and not participate. In short, I am treating it with kid gloves.
Plus, I don't know about the other areas of life that AI may stick its nose in; however, it is coming and we better know what we are doing with it.
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May 13
Use these words in your blog: door, burst, horizon, cliche and gravestones. Have fun!
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such a cliche sight
for when I go out the door
I see gravestones
walking on the road
because "We Cannot
Stop for Death"
and on the horizon
gray clouds burst,
motioning we all fade
away, out of the way
since birth
and we forget
or do not get that
all stories end
sooner or later.
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May 12
In the span of ten minutes you've broken a mirror, walked under a ladder and spilled salt. Obviously, I'm trying to trigger.....
It's your blog, have fun.
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memories like gnats
buzz around my head
since I've just broken a mirror,
and spilled salt on the cut
of my finger
to escape the omens and hide
I run outside to hear
the low snoring sound of
the tide, then I walk under
your invisible ladder and my heart
makes a thumping sound
recalling your
final laughter like spun sugar,
melting and sinking
into me
so I raise my cut finger
to heavens and say,
"No one else is to blame, and
what a shame!
This is all your doing!"
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Just what do you mean
I am not being allowed
to miss the boat?
Don't you know I already
missed it
as it passed me by
though I noticed
its huge shape
and heard its warning horn
and the captain's
desperate shout?
But knowing I'd miss
the boat anyhow,
I chose to drive
my own car
and waved goodbye
at the boat,
its warning horn,
and the frenzied captain
though I always fancied
the sea
Yet, as nothing goes
quite as planned,
who'd know I'd crash the car
and stand stranded
in the middle of the road
like the joke I am
dreaming of
the wide open ocean
out there
with the blues
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Prompt:
No one will be allowed to miss the boat. Write about this in your Blog entry today.
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Prompt: Day 2727 May 8, 2023
Which kinds of relationships --family, friendship, love/romance, etc.-- lift you up and not drag you down? What does this depend on, the people, the circumstances, or you yourself?
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Relationships bond us to one another and they can form a person’s perception about life and their past, present, or future adaptations to other people. We are all human after all and we need other people to relate to, for a life worth living.
Any relationship is about give and take. This doesn't have to be 50-50, but the ratio can swing either way depending on the situation. This also needs to be acceptable and comfortable for both sides. In any relationship, we need to remember that everyone is and needs to be independent, and it is important not to be too demanding of the other person.
Talking about myself, most relationships I had have lifted me up in some way, and rarely did I feel dragged down. The feeling of being dragged down happens when the other person has a problem and thus, becomes a problem. In that case, one either needs to hightail it from out of their sight or stay and deal with them. I have done both. The first kind, I ran away from a person when I couldn't help them or reason with them. Most of those "difficult" people, however, I found them to be traumatized or hurt in some way. And if they responded positively to my presence and my trying to help them, I did stay, and to this day, I am glad I did.
I think my dealing with difficult people depends on circumstances, their and mine past experiences and our stance on life, and in addition, my very own boiling point. If I feel I can't handle a person, I'm out of there in no time, as I am not any saint or a self-sacrificial lamb. I don't have to take any crap that I cannot handle.
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