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
the bike in a tree
How did you get to where you are?
an island boy
leaves behind rusty
handlebars and tires
…
reflecting on the story
of how we came
to this point
in our lives today
may surprise others
but makes sense to those
who can connect the dots
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
carton, jug, bag
Have you ever drank milk from one of the above?
school cafeteria
wax paper cartons
warped by hands
…
regardless of form
the function of
a milk delivery
in one of the above
doesn’t take away
from the fact we consume
the same things
chalking it up
How do your emotions guide you?
neighborhood sidewalk
a red streak jumps
across the asphalt
…
to say that
we are tired
hungry, or even
uninspired means
we have let our wants
and needs control
our emotions
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?
norman window
How do you explore your curiosity's?
standing outside
a shadow casts over
hallgrimskirkja
…
when the general public
doesn’t know the name
behind an iconic item
person, place, or thing
marks the calling card
for us to start doing
our own research
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
in our heyday
What’s popular to you?
ume ume ume
a pink announcement
falls on the ground
…
does “success”
over a period in time
represent our relationship
on what we did and didn’t do
or something along the lines
of how it made us feel
back then and today?
the source
What experience can’t replace the original?
khumbu glacier
a lake now stares
at open skies
…
Is drinking water
from a glacial lake
the same experience
as it is for us drinking
from water bottles
whose packaging
claims it’s from there?
baby steps
What are you seeking to explore?
the kitchen counter
from the eyes of a baby
looking for cookies
…
leaving our mark
on a subject matter
or breaking ground
in unexplored territory
means we should welcome
the bumps and falls
on our path