TONI TALKS | PROMPTED TO POST | POEM ➕ PROPHETIC PROSE
Hope For The Future
Riding The Next BIG Wave On Medium
𝑺𝒚𝒏𝒐𝒑𝒔𝒊𝒔
The poem and accompanying illustration (below) are lead in’s. They were designed as hopeful expressions to usher in a moment of zen.
The tranquil song that’s included is transitional. It sets the tone for the metaphorical river of hope that flows into a poignant summation.
𝕄𝕪 𝕢𝕦𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕣𝕪 𝕚𝕤 𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕕𝕖𝕕 【𝕒𝕣𝕥𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕪 】𝕚𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕣𝕠 𝕚𝕝𝕝𝕦𝕤𝕥𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟.
I’ve been back 3 months. However, questions about Medium linger. That’s why I’m looking forward to the site’s virtual conference on August 12th. Hopefully, those who are collecting a salary will offer direction to help us successfully navigate a path forward.
🅑🅣🅦 August 12th, aka “Medium Day”is my birthday! Born in the year of the Dragon, I’m a passionate ℒℯℴ whose love language is words of affirmation. Kinda feels like a gift from the universe.
Look up and close your eyes; See… Beyond the rainbow, Soar through azure skies.
Reach out with your mind; Touch… The waves, Surf the suns rays.
Listen to the sound of silence; Hear… Soul vibrations, Singing your heart song.
Watch, Israel “IZ” Kamakawiwo’ole’s reimagination of Judy Garland’s Classic: “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”
IZ brought his authenticity to the studio in 1988, and made the song his own. He laid down the track in one take with his trusty ukulele. The video came later. It’s been viewed more than a billion times.
I heard it for the first time in 1999. It played underneath the credits of the movie, “Meet Joe Black.” The combo punch of a song that spoke to my heart, and phenomenal acting by leads Sir Anthony Hopkins and Brad Pitt… seared the memory in my mind.
𝓓𝓮𝓪𝓻 𝓡𝓮𝓪𝓭𝓮𝓻, 𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒗𝒂𝒍𝒖𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆. 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒊𝒏𝒗𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒂 𝒃𝒊𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒔. 𝓣𝓸𝓷𝓲 𝓖𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓼𝓮
“You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.” — Jon Kabat Zin
I’d originally wanted to write an essay about waves after being inspired by this Jon Kabat Zin quote. I started a draft, then, was stricken with a case of creative constipation.
A poem by Shereen Bingham, Listen to the River, the Eagle, and the Sky provided the cure. It led to Sahil Patel’s Lifeline Prompt on Hope issued the 2nd week of July. Patel extended an invitation to write a poem that offers hope to someone who lost theirs.
That was all it took for my poem to emerge. It was written as a lifeline to Medium writers who are struggling to find a solid footing here.
I believe the words from Jon Kabat Zin’s quote kept swirling around in my mind, until it ignited a fire. Passion lights me up. I can imagine the internal flames flared, and by extension, stratospherically boosted the wave theme, way up into the air.
In response, my mind autonomously chose an abstract poetic interpretation. Shereen’s poem in particular spoke to my muse. She emerged and promptly penned a poem about waves in the atmosphere… not the ocean.
Folks, that’s the place where my essay writing odyssey ended. It was drowned out by the frequency of airy soundwaves.
Yet, the words below survived. They dove from the sky to catch a view of the water below.
𝑺𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏
July 29th, will mark my third month surfing Medium’s waves. I’m hopeful that this time around, I’ll be able to deeply connect with 1,000 writers.
My desire is to become such a prolific writer that people remember my name and return to read my words on repeat.
That stated, it took the algorithm approximately 90 days to re-index my Medium handle. So the name “Toni the Talker” is out in the ether.
𝕀𝕥 𝕓𝕣𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝕥𝕠 𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝟙𝟡𝟟𝟠, 𝕤𝕠𝕟𝕘 𝕓𝕪 ℙ𝕖𝕒𝕔𝕙𝕖𝕤 𝕒𝕟𝕕 ℍ𝕖𝕣𝕓, “ℝ𝕖𝕦𝕟𝕚𝕥𝕖𝕕 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕀𝕥 𝔽𝕖𝕖𝕝𝕤 𝕊𝕠 𝔾𝕠𝕠𝕕.”
What lies ahead, relies on my ability 【alone】 to skillfully ride the waves of change this platform is known for. The site is like a metaphorical ocean. Waves continuously build, crest and ebb.
The one word that categorizes all of the writers who gather here is… hopeful. We are similar to surfers. We spot a wave and jump on. Those who’ve ridden out tumultuous changes, are undeterred by the fact that, more often than not, we’ll wipe out. Yet we keep “𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒈” we won’t!
What we writers are is a resilient bunch! We do it for the love! We keep at it, because the grittiest of the bunch never lose “𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒆.” We continually apply lessons learned. My experience, on the backend of trial and error, has been to sit on the shore. I watch and “𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒇𝒖𝒍𝒍𝒚” wait for the next wave to build.
When the time is right, I’ll paddle out and position myself in front of it. I’ll 𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒇𝒖𝒍𝒍𝒚 remain upright as the wave crests and inevitably crashes back onto the shore.
🔹About Me ➖ Toni Greathouse (moniker) Toni The Talker ➖ Racing toward age 60. Living every day like it’s my last, but planning like I’ll be here 60 more years. Rewriting my reality in ways that will leave a legacy that outlives me.
