On Challenging The Status Quo, Flying Dreams, Niche Interests And More: A Poetry Series

Poetry Series with Know Thyself Heal Thyself prompts

Monday: What is your relationship with authority? How have you challenged the status quo?

a timid kid, obedient;

unsure if this was nature of my soft water sense in going with the flow, seemingly bending, but over time chiselling away at the strongest of stone.

unsure if this was the product of upbringing, dissent shut down with an iron first.

how ironic it sure is that in silencing that outward voice, I turned inward to find solace in words, in books — the very books that taught me to question, to voice up, to challenge the status quo.

Tuesday: Expand your wings and prepare to ascend

dropping into my dreams I sometimes truly drop into the dreams —

flying but not knowing how to fly

spreading my wings but unsure how to ascend

falling until I jerk awake.

what I never thought about is whether I only remember these false starts, the failures, because they jolt me awake;

but forget the successes where I truly spread my wings, ascend and fly free, excited and celebrating… to be forgotten with the waves of new dreams, new narratives crashing upon this memory shore, washing away all trace of success engraved in sand.

Wednesday: What kind of people do you attract?

I laugh often about how strange it is that all my friends are weirdos in their own right (and labelled in the most affectionate of ways),

until one day a friend said back to me: if all of your friends are weird the commonality is you — you’re the one common denominator this entire phenomenon.

while there are certainly … statistical and logical shortcomings to this claim, it made me think.

rather than weird, the best way to describe it is that I know people who passionately love the things they love regardless of what others think about the hobby or how deep that love for said hobby goes.

instead of forcing small talk into commonly accepted topics about what everyone likes, I actively ask about that one spark that sparks true joy in their eyes.

I do not laugh, I do not dismiss, but rather I actively ask questions, curious about a life that is quite different from mine, learning about the world and how truly different people could be.

I attract people who love deeply, but hide their true interests, labelled as weird, abnormal, “not part of the crowd”,

but I often wonder does it not get boring to only talk about the things you already know? to not ever explore beyond the horizons defined by your commonalities?

Thursday: Dedicated journey on the path that unites the heart & mind

I still grapple with the concept of a heart, or soul, or something internal

as separate from the mind.

is it a thing? if so what is it truly? can someone explain it in words to me?

but as I walk this journey further it becomes clear.

to me these were inseparable, in a parallel and related way that I also think that physical and mental health are not distinct but intricately affecting each other.

and though I cannot slice each concept in between glass slides for intricate microscopic examination,

what I do know is that in walking, there are physical benefits of movement that impact mental health, and rests the mind in a way that loops back to physical health.

and in this journey as I grow, though I cannot explain in words just yet, those steps taken forward, one foot in front of the other, represent a growth in heart and mind.

Friday: When do you underestimate your intuitive abilities?

in those pauses after I’ve stopped speaking, when I expect a response but unsure if I will ever get one,

I doubt myself.

I sit in those moments, anxiety mounting, unsure if I have been clear enough, loud enough, articulate enough,

knowing that my message is often obscured by misinterpretations on tone, or micromanaging of my facial expression — honey, you’re not smiling enough for me to take you seriously.

People tell me that I “shouldn’t” underestimate the power of my words in those moments, the weight of expectation weighing on me, an extra burden on an already heavy reaction to something that shouldn’t happen.

Weekend: Poised on an arc of a grand cycle of time

paused in a society slowly inching forward in time painfully slowly as we stay inside

we hear the slow ticking of our roller coaster cart slowly ramping up in anxious anticipation

poised on the arc at the very top of the tracks, we can see around the bend, the exciting rush of excitement, reuniting with our friends, kickstarting the economy.

As I write this piece, I am conscious of the positive tone. Some regions of the world are dispensing vaccines at a hopeful rate and I’m excited. Other regions like Canada, where I reside, lag behind and enter the third wave of cases. As we sit here at the top of the rollercoaster, I do not want to dampen hope, but I also don’t want to encourage complacency. This is the nuanced world we currently live in.

Lucy Dan 蛋小姐 (she/her/她) wants to thank 𝘋𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘢 𝘊. for all of these amazing prompts! It wasn’t until today o’clock that Lucy realized that there’s actually prompts generated for almost every day of the week, just split up into different pieces! Be sure to hop on all of them to see the full prompt suite.

Monday, Wednesday and Friday prompts

Tuesday, Thursday prompts

Weekend Prompts

Other things I’ve written