Her perfect features cracked
At time’s many trials
Cool, calm and collected
Thoughts camouflaged with smiles

Bluffing her admirers
A morning mirror does not lie
Putting on a face
Of a beauty, none could deny

Refreshed and worthwhile
No longer a broken cup
She strode into the day
Happily made up

Shared to NaPoMo
25th Jun 2025 – shared with dVerse Poetics: Building from the Broken

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Today I’m feeling:

It’s still early but I think I feel a little more motivated than yesterday.  I’m lesson planning already and that’s going well, so it’s a good start.  

I think I need to be busy, doing stuff, to keep myself occupied.  If I get lazy and don’t move my brain and body I start to atrophy.

Today I’m grateful for:

The poetry folks who post prompts and ideas that inspire me to write.  I don’t know how many other people might think that I write quite well but I write for myself and when I look back at things that I’ve written I often feel proud and impressed.

I started a free poetry course at one site and struggled with the first assignment which was to write about yourself.  It should be easy, most of my poetry is about myself but when asked specifically to do it, where do you start?

Oddly enough, I ended up writing a poem today that was written for four different prompts but ended up being about myself almost directly and I will use it as a part of what I submit.

The best thing about today was:

Getting enough lesson plans done to feel comfortable that I know what I’m doing.  I can see the way forward to having enough done for the semester and working out what is needed for the rest of the year too.

Let’s hope that the students reach my expectations of what I have planned for them; otherwise I will have to do some quick revisions.

What was out of your control today and how did you handle it?

I’ve been happy to get a lot done today but have also felt a little annoyed at times, though not acted on, just in my head, by little things.  It was when I was watching TV, though, that I really noticed bad tinnitus in my left ear and it’s still bothering me now.

I’m not sure exactly what has brought this on.  I did play guitar for about 20 minutes but it wasn’t at a volume as excessive as I sometimes play.  Usually, the ear ringing comes and goes but it seems to be hanging around today.

Something I learned today?

Utopia will only open in the morning this weekend as they will all go and celebrate Songkran in the city in the afternoons.

A couple of days ago, I learned that Nick at Daytripper will leave for Australia, where he’s hoping to work as a barista in Sydney.  With him going, Art decided to close the shop completely as he is too busy to keep it going.

Review your acts, and then for vile deeds chide yourself, for good be glad. — Discourses 3.10

As I mentioned above I did get internally annoyed many times today.  However, biting my teeth through all that I did everything that Amy asked of me, particularly when she ran in from the garden with her skin boiling up in an allergic reaction to something.  I got her ice, rubbed on lotions and creams, and did this and that.  

She’s disappointed that she is allergic to something (probably the hairy worms), as when the temperature is good, she enjoys pottering about out there.