My poem for W3 (which is two days late) was inspired by two photographs from Dan’s TDWC26 as follows:
Picture caption: This building appears to me to have many doors which my mind interpreted as many relationships in life. The photograph was contributed by Dan Antion.
Alone (freestyle poem)
We walk alone
navigating our way
up hills, over obstacles, down slopes
Sometimes, we walk with another
a lover, friend, family member,
even a group
These periods of companionship
often bring great happiness
But, every life phase has an ending
Someone’s life must be shattered
Someone must suffer pain
Someone must be left behind
It’s best to acknowledge that ultimately
we walk our paths alone
Picture caption: My mind interpreted this single door standing alone as a solitary person – the one left behind to go on alone. This photograph was contributed by Lois.
Tiny flowers growing in a crack between the rocksLate autumn bougainvillea against yellow autumn leavesThe aloe tree is full of flowers this yearA single red rose
After six weeks of sabbatical, I am starting a new job on Monday. I’m glad I was able to see Paris over Easter and nurse my mother and Michael through the new Flu B. It is a reduced hours job so I’ll see how that goes. Wish me luck.
d’Verse, TDWC26, Sunday Stills, and The Flower Hour
Terri’s Sunday Stills challenge is pastels. My Primrose antique doll and the flowers in the background are pastels. The flowers are for Terri’s The Flower Hour challenge too.
Picture caption: Yellow, blue, and white house photograph contributed by Restless Jo
Primrose looked at her freshly painted home with satisfaction. Arthur had recently finished reading a first edition of Tom Sawyer. He’d been so inspired he’d volunteered to give her dolls house home a fresh look. It looked terrific. Its yellow, blue, and white walls sparkled under the bright display lights of the antique children’s books and toys room.
She glanced at the tapestry on the opposite wall. The dark yellow room was exquisitely sew with careful, even stitches. She liked the wall hanging and it helped to keep the room warm and snug. Museums were drafty. She was glad she had her delightful dolls house to live in and her home wasn’t merely a 2D dream.
rainbow dreams elude
bricks and mortar evidence
my reality
Picture caption: Art inspiration provided by Punam
Click on the bar to view Primrose, an antique doll form Faversham in England, with a background of roses I received for Mothers Day last Sunday. A little past their prime but they are still pretty … and pastel. You will also see Arthur, a vintage doll from Graaf Reinet in South Africa.
Thursday Doors
These are a few more random photographs form my short trip to Paris over Easter.
The two images above are of the moving walkway in the Paris Airport (Charles de Gaulle). It was very long and there wasn’t another soul in sight. For me, it was a little creepy as it was my first time in this airport. I was glad to see the door at the end of the walkway coming into sight.
Last Sunday, TC and I went for a 5 kilometre walk at the Johannesburg Country Club in Woodmead. The trees were all dressed in their autumn best and there were plenty of birds out and about enjoying the warm day. We came across a strange scene where a cat and a peahen were living together in a little domed shelter. There were water and food dishes so they are obviously fed by the residence of the surrounding houses.
I was immediately reminded of the nonsense poem by Edward Lear, ‘The Owl and the Pussy-Cat’. It was first published in 1870 in the American magazine Our Young Folks and again the following year in Lear’s own book Nonsense Songs, Stories, Botany and Alphabets.
Picture caption: Photograph contributed by Maureen
Nothin’ but a hound dog
young people
hypothetical cannon fodder
lead the charge
with artificial intelligence
rushing in
where angels fear to tread
experimenting
summarising
capturing ‘its’ version
of salient details
embellishing the written word
with the soul of the soulless
creating gutless art
purpose of essential organs
missed entirely
by the mindless digital mind
photographs enhanced
excluding the unnecessary
floating heads and hands
by accident not design
mistakes will be made
some doors will open
only to be firmly closed
In the end
progress will continue
some will grasp it firmly
using it to hoist themselves
further up the ladder
others will fall
lying broken and bleeding
at the feet of the demigod
On reflection
isn’t the digital revolution
just a rewrite
of Hound Dog?*
*Hound Dog by Elvis Presley is considered to be his most controversial song. It stands out from all his music, marking a pivotal, rebellious moment in rock ‘n roll history that changed music forever. Elvis Presley’s music was criticized by establishment figures, media commentators, and religious groups as being dangerous, vulgar, and lacking artistic merit. Many condemned his music as immoral and a catalyst for juvenile delinquency. Now, Elvis Presley is considered to have fundamentally changed music for the better by breaking racial barriers in radio and merging country, gospel, and blues into popular rock ‘n roll. He is said to have revolutionised the music industry by linking image and sexuality to sound, creating a youth-orientated culture, ad setting the stage for global rock stardom.
AI is controversial and many people are resistant to its implementation in its current form. I have some reservations about how AI will impact young people and the growth of their mental abilities. You have to exercise the brain if you want it to grow. The fate of the Eloi from HG Wells clever story The Time Machine always comes to mind for me when I think about how AI is currently being utilised. If you are interested in my thoughts on this book and the Eloi, you can read my review here: https://latinosenglishedition.blog/2026/04/30/the-time-machine-by-h-g-wells-by-robbie-cheadle/
AI is a topic of many blog posts. All of the posts I’ve read about AI have interested me deeply. Here are a few links to interesting posts about AI I’ve read recently:
Dan Antion’s Doors writing challenge starts today and continues throughout May. I used one of my own doors pictures because the colours inspired a poem that also fitted Yvette’s W3 challenge to write about a fantasy world (mine’s 22 lines and not 20 – sorry Yvette!)
Picture caption: One of Robbie’s Doors entries for Dan’s Doors Writing Challenge – its of the lifts at the Hilton Hotel in Munich
Dinah in Wonderland (freestyle poem)
Beyond the door
Dinah sees the colours
Dancing and swirling
Enticing … calling
“Come and play, Dinah
Come and play”
Squeezing through the cat door
She pitches forward
Falling … down and down
Landing softly on
Pink, blue, green, and yellow
Sweet! Her nose quivers
What? It’s candy floss
Between the bright puffs
Pale shapes swarm
Marshmallow fish
They wriggle their tails
“Chase us, Dinah, chase us”
Off she goes
Bouncing from one sugary cloud
to the next sweet indulgence
Extraordinary!
Thursday Doors
For Dan’s Thursday Doors, I’m sharing the rest of my Hilton Hotel, Munich photographs. I was only in Munich for ten hours so this is what I saw of it in the hotel from about 8pm until 4am the following morning.
roberta-writes.com 