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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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Daily Cascade
Since my old blog "Everyday Canvas "  became overfilled, here's a new one. This new blog item will continue answering prompts, the same as the old one.
Cool water cascading to low ground
To spread good will and hope all around.
August 7, 2025 at 12:18pm August 7, 2025 at 12:18pm
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Prompt: Yearbook Themes.
What was your yearbook theme in high school?
Write about this in your Blog entry today.
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In my school, we didn't care much for yearbooks. Although there was a student committee for each year's yearbook, their decisions were dominated by the teachers. I've heard that in some other schools, this was totally in the hands of students. Lucky people!
I graduated from a private high school in 1961 called, American Academy for Girls. It is a miracle that I remember anything about it, today. So, here's a part of that miracle which I could recall: School motto, "Alma Mater, Siempre" meaning, "Dear Mother, Always." "Mother" was the school. The year I graduated they added "going ahead" to "always" and made it the year's theme for the yearbook.
What happened to the yearbooks of other schools, who knows! Yearbooks never interested me. Only because what is said in them are others' opinions, mostly incomplete, faulty or wrong.
Most yearbooks might have evolved to more than simple collections of photographs and names and what the administration wanted to keep for its students' achievements. Since I have seen a few of the much earlier yearbooks of my family members, I don't remember any yearbook themes in them. So, my guess is, possibly, yearbook themes were born during the late 1950s or so.
If yearbooks are around to create a sense of unity and identity within the school community, I hope they may succeed. So far that I know, most of my classmates have scattered all over the country and the world, and only a few have stayed in touch. My closest high-school friends and I met several times in the following years to stay in touch, but life has a way of separating and alienating people, and so far, I know of only one friend who is still alive.
Yet, with my friends in college, we're still in touch and that's a true blessing.
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August 7, 2025 at 12:18pm August 7, 2025 at 12:18pm
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Prompt: Yearbook Themes.
What was your yearbook theme in high school?
Write about this in your Blog entry today.
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In my school, we didn't care much for yearbooks. Although there was a student committee for each year's yearbook, their decisions were dominated by the teachers. I've heard that in some other schools, this was totally in the hands of students. Lucky people!
I graduated from a private high school in 1961 called, American Academy for Girls. It is a miracle that I remember anything about it, today. So, here's a part of that miracle which I could recall: School motto, "Alma Mater, Siempre" meaning, "Dear Mother, Always." "Mother" was the school. The year I graduated they added "going ahead" to "always" and made it the year's theme for the yearbook.
What happened to the yearbooks of other schools, who knows! Yearbooks never interested me. Only because what is said in them are others' opinions, mostly incomplete, faulty or wrong.
Most yearbooks might have evolved to more than simple collections of photographs and names and what the administration wanted to keep for its students' achievements. Since I have seen a few of the much earlier yearbooks of my family members, I don't remember any yearbook themes in them. So, my guess is, possibly, yearbook themes were born during the late 1950s or so.
If yearbooks are around to create a sense of unity and identity within the school community, I hope they may succeed. So far that I know, most of my classmates have scattered all over the country and the world, and only a few have stayed in touch. My closest high-school friends and I met several times in the following years to stay in touch, but life has a way of separating and alienating people, and so far, I know of only one friend who is still alive.
Yet, with my friends in college, we're still in touch and that's a true blessing.
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Prompt:
"For the love of literature."
Write about this in your Blog entry today.
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Since this prompt is a phrase alone, it suggests to me doing something purely out of passion, appreciation, or love for books, reading, and the written word. It means dedication to literature for its own sake.
Literature for literature's sake...which brings to mind the attempt of some who like to see themselves in print, not for literature's sake but only for money, fame, or obligation. I have to say, here, "to each his or her own" since what anyone does is their own business.
As for me, my love of literature began very early with my mother's story-telling abilities. That's probably why I learned to read before I had turned four. Then, over the years, my love grew, and I ended up studying it very seriously throughout my years in higher education.
They say literature is for the rebellious, non-conforming spirit. Certainly, I am non-conforming, but rebellious, I don't think so. I never liked to make waves. Not that I couldn't, but I usually chose not to. Yet, I love literature even the kind that makes waves, and sometimes, I like especially the kind that makes waves. This is because I can make deep connections to people and ideas that I'm not too familiar with.
Then, call me, one-sided, but my closest friends have always been those who could write and/or those who loved reading. Also, every person has a different view about a particular topic...and the differences in opinion may collide. Then, even that can be an eye-opener.
I think, the importance of literature is best brought to print by the Peruvian author Mario Vargas Llosa. He says, in his essay, “Why Literature?” about those who do not read much:
"They earn my pity not only because they are unaware of the pleasure that they are missing, but because I am convinced that a society without literature or a society in which literature has been hated--like some hidden vice--to the margins of social and personal life, and transformed into something like a secterian cult, is a society condemned to become spiritually barbaric, and even to jeopardize its freedom."
He also goes on to say:
"It (literature} has enabled individuals, in all the particularities of their lives, to transcend history: as readers of Cervantes, Shakespeare, Dante, and Tolstoy, we understand each other across space and time, and we feel ourselves to be members of the same species because, in the works that these writers created, we learn what we share as human beings, what remains common in all of us under the broad range of differences that separate us. Nothing better protects a human being against the stupidity of prejudice, racism, religious or political sectarianism, and exclusivist nationalism than this truth that invariably appears in great literature: that men and women of all nations and places are essentially equal, and that only injustice sows among them discrimination, fear, and exploitation."
And I so agree! |
August 5, 2025 at 12:46pm August 5, 2025 at 12:46pm
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Prompt: Superpowers
"Having a superpower has nothing to do with the ability to fly or jump, or superhuman strength. The truest superpowers are the ones we all possess: willpower, integrity, and most importantly, courage."
Jason Reynolds
How would the world be different if everyone knew they had superpowers? Which superpower do you think you possess?
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"I'm here to fight for truth and justice," said Superman. So he did personify superpowers. Yet, are all superpowers alike?
As to the superpowers in the prompts' quote, somehow, I think the world is aware of them already. What Jason Reynolds calls superpowers are willpower, integrity, and courage. Except, it is difficult to use them because, sometimes, our own self-interests butt into our style of being. Then, it is not only the self-interests but the way we have conditioned ourselves to act can be to blame, as well.
Surely, I am not inside every single person in the world, but I assume that, in some magical way, we all know about these superpowers. We all know that real strength doesn't lie in fantasy or fiction but in our everyday choices and actions.
Of these superpowers, willpower has to be the strongest one because it is such a quiet force that works under our every action and will. It's the ability to keep going when things get hard, to say yes to progress, and to say no to what might hold us back. We can see it in the person who fights to win against all odds and in any situation, be it a student who has to work for a living during daytime but studies hard late into the night or a nurse, despite all the work she has to do, stays by a patient to give him a easy passage into death, or parents who continually keep after their wayward child to keep that child from harming himself.
Integrity means staying true to ourselves and our values, be it in a crowd or when alone. It shows in honesty, accountability, and standing by what is right. In our mixed-up world, which often rewards fake masks and shortcuts, integrity has to count as a deeply courageous act.
Also, there is that superpower, courage. So, I ask myself, what is courage, then? The answer comes up as, courage is not the absence of fear, but it is the determination and choice to move forward, to act, to fix things, despite the fear. Courage turns ordinary people into heroes, people such as the firefighters, caregivers, friends, policemen, parents, you, and hopefully I, too.
About me and superpowers question, if I mentioned any of them in relation to me, they would cease to be superpowers, wouldn't they! I certainly hope they do show up when I need them, though.
As such, superpowers are not out of reach. They are already within each person. Our challenge is to recognize, believe, and keep them pure inside us, so we can use them, daily, when needed. This is each person's choice and in that choice lies each person's greatness. As another quote says, "There is a superhero in all of us. We just need the courage to put on the cape."
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“Be willing to be a beginner every single morning.”
Meister Eckhart
What resistance or skepticism does this quote bring up in your mind? And why?
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I really shouldn't feel any skepticism or resistance to this prompt. Truth, however, dictates that I admit there have been some mornings when I woke up dreading the day. Luckily for me, they are not that often.
Thinking about the idea behind the quote, Meister Eckhart's words bring one thing to my mind: self-love. First, I think, we have to have self-love to face anything because only our "selves" and how we feel about them can make us do things that are better for us and for everyone we care about.
Also, life always tries to test us. It tests our determination and willingness to love ourselves enough to face each day with enthusiasm. Yet, at the same time, it gives us an opportunity to connect with our deepest parts. So, each morning, even when something dreadful is in the works, say, like attending a funeral, we can still find something to look forward to. This is us handling life, I think.
Life is a tester, not necessarily cruel, but it is like the strict interrogator in a graduation exam. To win or to pass the test, we need to look at and find the positives inside each new day, every morning. Wanting to learn new things, getting better at what is important to us, or even small, seemingly insignificant ideas like planting a flower, getting a new pair of shoes, and many other tiny things that encourage our enthusiasm will make us face the day with positivity.
This is because life is a reality that makes us experience, feel, re-evaluate, and as the result, make a choice. This is how life teaches us self-love. When we become good at this self-love, then, each morning, we'll be eager to begin living again, once more.
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August 3, 2025 at 11:36am August 3, 2025 at 11:36am
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Prompt: Certainty vs. Confusion
It is often assumed that certainty is preferred over uncertainty and confusion. Can you, however, think of instances where good things may result out of uncertainty and/or confusion?
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My question is, is there such a thing as certainty? Maybe in a far away place, like heaven, but not here on earth, can there be certainty, methinks.
Let's look at it this way. You wake up happy in the morning. The world is quiet. Your cup of coffee and breakfast are perfect. If so, why do you need a new hairstyle, a new book, a vacation, or even conversing with your friends? In fact, why do you ever need any change especially if you are in a certain perfect place in your life?
My guess is, there is no certain perfect place or way of being. Even in the best of conditions, those conditions can always change. And they do. Therefore, good-bye, certainty!
And welcome uncertainty and confusion! So I can only hope this uncertainty is not too harsh and painful, and confusion does not disrupt my so-called "sane" thinking. Still, some people claim that the best ideas often emerge from the fog. This maybe because confusion disrupts our everyday, routine way of thinking.
So we begin to explore unconventional paths. And kudos! Welcome more fulfilling ways, creativity, and artistic and scientific breakthroughs! This means personal growth, adaptability, humility, better emotional maturity, and new opportunities.
Another positive could be, uncertainty and confusion makes us let go of any rigid, established expectations. This makes our lives more spontaneous and richer. We also begin to lean on each other more and with honesty. This, in turn, does deepen relationships by building empathy and trust.
So, this all means uncertainty and confusion are also catalysts to new ways. Although, deep down inside, I keep wishing they wouldn't be so painful at times and so difficult to handle.
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Prompt:
If someone asked you caption August, what would you say? (provide (an illustration) with a title or explanation.)
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T he Warning by the Last Hurrah
In most places they baptize August as the summer's swan song. Far be it from me to say that in view of where I live, since where I live autumn's approach is not felt at all. So, instead, it leaves me to worry about the hurricanes that may arrive and raise havoc. I would, therefore, call August, "The Warning!" Although, rarely, there were also hurricanes in August, too. Then, I have to honor my good friends living in the northern parts of the country, so I think, I'll also caption August as "The Last Hurrah!" Putting these two captions together, "The Warning by the Last Hurrah" comes to mind.
Also, for many regions, August is a time of peak harvest. Gardens overflow with ripe tomatoes, corn, berries, apples, and other good stuff. Luckily, where I am, we get a trickle of that bounty through the workings of interstate commerce.
Does August suggest a touch of bittersweet nostalgia, as well? At my age anything and everything suggests nostalgia, as well. So why not August?
Yes, I do recall my family's seaside excursions, as the illustration suggests, and beach fun. I also like watermelon a lot, for watermelon has great taste, provides water for the body, and a slice of it is good to look at.
In reflection, then, I do appreciate the cycle of nature, too,--of growth, peak, gentle-decline, decline, and renewal. So, maybe August is a powerful reminder for us, to flow with the rhythm of the year, embracing both the fullness of the present and the gentle certainty of what's yet to come.
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August 1, 2025 at 12:38pm August 1, 2025 at 12:38pm
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Prompt:
Have fun with these words: departure, discrimination, stall, dine, earthquake, look, dynamic and shoulder.
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"Package in the Wind"
I blinked at the photo of an alien door, with
my package, and instead, "*Departure made,
then delivered," the screen said
No box, no note, no beep, no sign
No chance tonight that I can *dine
Not here but a phantom clear and Amazon's
chatbox offered a *dynamic cheer, not a real kiss,
and not why the delivery had to *stall and miss
No box, no note, no beep, no sign
No chance tonight that I can *dine
I took a quick *look for its place while neighbors
gave a "shoulder to my case, a *discrimination
cruel, as if an *earthquake shook the place
No box, no note, no beep, no sign
No chance tonight that I can *dine.
I pace the floor, thoughts turn black for I feel
the lack, but still cope and hope, in rain or sleet,
my package and I shall soon meet.
No box, no note, no beep, no sign
No chance tonight that I can *dine.
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Here's What Happened:
True Story.
I ordered a package from Amazon, as I always do. and I'll be fair and say that Amazon has never disappointed me before.
The email I received as "delivered" has the photo of an alien doorway, not mine. And as much as I tried, I couldn't get through to Amazon. I'm still waiting and hoping that the people who live in the house with that door the package was delivered to will either bring it to me or send it back to Amazon.
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