Dark clouds

We're taking it as it comes in this issue of your weekly dose of fresh poetry #135

Sun breaking through clouds over the beach.

We're driving
straight into the dark clouds.
Will it rain at our destination?
Does it matter?  We'll go
anyway!

Do you know that feeling? When you are traveling, and you can see where you are going, dark clouds are gathered, promising horrible weather to welcome you? Well, that is a bit how I felt the other day, driving home from a short trip to see some history. I had no real choice. We were going home, we had to. Things waiting to be done, there. Then it hit me: what did it really matter. We were going anyway. Just as we would have had it been at the start of our trip, whilst driving towards our short-break-destination. We were going anyway. There are two questions that really matter here. The first: are you prepared? The second: will it really be that bad?

If you see bad weather ahead, you need to ask yourself if you will be able to deal with it. Will it really ruin everything, or do you have the wherewithal to make it great regardless? I like to think we have the latter. We will make it work anyway. More importantly, my experience has taught me that in many cases, basically almost always, it is not as bad as I can imagine it to be. The dark clouds? Maybe they are 10 kilometres away from where I am going. Maybe when I arrive, they have dumped their water already and have gone. Maybe, and that is actually a certainty in my case in this time of year, the rain they will release will clean the air from pollen so my allergies won’t act up that bad.

What do you do when you see dark clouds ahead?

PS: there are many new subscribers here today. Welcome to the world of fresh poetry. I am very happy you’ve joined the wonderful people who had already subscribed before. And a warm thank you to Substack for featuring this Inbox Poetry Magazine.

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The poetics of life

Sometimes dark clouds come in the shape of a thick layer of snow. One so thick, all your food is hidden underneath it. But even then, a fox has to eat. Enjoy watching this video, about the wonders of nature and perseverance.

Find the freshest on-chain poetry, every two weeks, in the On-chain poetry digest.

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Poetry elsewhere

There’s much ado about AI. Really very much. And well, all that ‘ado’ is challenging artists to act. As we have come to expect from the emergence of new technology, some do that by rallying against it, while others embrace it to create amazing art. I have big admiration for the latter group. Then, there are also those who refuse to be put in any sort of box and make altogether something entirely different. Like Kell Mullins (from Poetry Trapper Keeper), who has become the algorithm of her own AI. On show now in Amsterdam, and in this post, she is sharing three of the poems created by that AI. Enjoy Being a Human is Like, Really Weird:

Being a Human is Like, Really Weird

With exploring new technologies, also comes a feeling of not being part of the real in-crowd. Now, in the world of blockchains, you are an OG (original gangster, or, in normal-people-language: one of those who were there really early to shape the space) if you hold an Ape or a Punk, or a whatever. For the rest of us, who are early and also exploring, but entered too late to be holders of Apes and Penguins and Punks, the feeling of being part of it, but not really part of it can be overwhelming and strong. Fortunately, we have poets like Gomp_art who write poetry about precisely that. Please enjoy reading Impostering.

Have you heard about haiga? You probably, especially if you are here, know about haiku. Well, haiga are images created by haiku poets. Traditionally they were painted, of course. These days, anything goes. And yes, that includes AI. Anyway… of course I knew about haiku for a while, now. Have even written a few, but I had not heard of haiga until recently. The poet known as ‘@llen3r’ introduced me to it through his collection of NFTs titled haiku&haiga. One of the most recently published poems in this collection is very much about technology and, as I read it, about the challenge we face with sourcing the materials needed for all our technology. I’m curious to what you think of it. Enjoy reading Haiku&Haiga_67.0.0.