pawns, knights, and kings
Who are you protecting and fostering?
a shogi board
pentagons scattered
across the field
…
being judged solely by
our status and affiliation
in the community
is like people peering through
an unopened door’s keyhole
to only find and see
what’s in front of them
hoodies and shoe strings
What habits have you learned from others?
concrete genkan
a pair of dr. martins
greets warm socks
…
learning how to
zip up our coats
or tie our shoelaces
into a perfect bow
is an art and practice
we get from constant
repetition and immersion
a cupcake now
How do you exercise self-control?
baking cupcakes
the girl stares at
flowering tulips
…
or eat two later
will always pit us
in choosing between
a shorter-smaller reward
against a longer-larger one
to test our ability and desire
to exercise self-control
end of mining
What Disney anagram can you make from this?
coral festival
clown fish hiding
near anemone
…
rearranging letters
of a word or phrase
to make a new wordplay
can take us from a person
place or thing to another
entirely different subject
and topic to view
imaginary friends
What creative companions do you have?
the arrival of bees
taking flight in a field
of lavender
…
provided us a way:
to feed our curiosities
to cope with change
to have fun and learn
as we grew up
to take on different
and daunting days
in our defense
What do you want to do today?
eraser shavings
settling on paper
behind the pencil
…
we aren’t guaranteed
to have the same
kind of day tomorrow
or the day after that
so what we do today
should be lead with
our best intentions
venus flytrap
When are you reactive instead of proactive?
wet savannah
speckles of white flowers
above green teeth
…
sitting still
and patiently waiting
to catch our opportunity
before it lands and leaves
may just be the right reaction
to creating change
in our small world
the other shore
What have other’s instilled in you?
eagle harbor
nidoto nai yoni
nidoto nai yoni
…
why do we get caught up
with how much and what things
other’s leave behind
when it’s far more meaningful
to cherish and treasure
what our ohana
instilled in us?
sweet conundrum
How do you make educated guesses?
jelly bean jar
hands eagerly search
for tutti fruitti
…
finding how many jelly beans
are inside a glass jar
may seem challenging
until we understand
how to perceive
our surroundings to make
calculated guesses
chewing gum
What can you learn from repetition?
termite mounds
chimpanzees inspect
broken stems and twigs
…
despite popular myths
it’s essential for us to understand
that doing the same thing
over and over again
doesn’t always lead
to overall success
but lessons learned