Picture Prompt: Color

Breathe in the color, breathe it out--

soak in the various hues.

A tiny kitty cat

living in a rainbow's shoes.

Picture Prompt: Warm

Slowly and carefully,

at their own pace, each one blooms.

They grasp and reach and stretch--

until their beauty fills the room.

World of Winx Review: Episode 1

World of Winx.
First aired November 4, 2016, it poses as a Netflix-shown followup to the so popular Winx Club. Just as girly and fantasy-filled, it came in the scene right after Winx Club started to lose its spunk and audience. It could be better, right at par, or even worse depending on how you measure the two. Or, you love/hate them for completely different reasons to the point where comparison isn't even fair. Overall, it still only received decent ratings. It didn't fulfill the full Winx Club vision, but it satiated fans who were disgusted by seasons 7 and 8.
It's very first episode, the Talent Thief revolves around the girls and their "TV show."
We begin with the six of them scouting the city looking for a suspect who the Winx believe kidnaps what they call talents--special individuals with extraordinary abilities. Tecna admits they've been following this guy around for eight months with no luck. They appear to get close this time, but yet again he slips away due to what the show reveals is an invisibility guise.
However, duty calls, and the crew has to hurry off to prepare to be filmed. We're shown that they're talent scouts for the "Wow! Wow! Wow! Talent Show." It seems to have a reality element, especially concerning the girls. They're nicknamed the "Wow 6" and the camera attempts to follow them in their daily lives. It then follows them as they watch various--admittedly horrendous--acts attempt to be the show's next talent. However, almost as expected, they end up venturing from the line up of auditions and chasing some waitress trapped in a bakery. Annabelle, the waitress, receives help from the Winx to finish orders and prepare for a concert to which the audience will vote either "wow" or "ouch."
The next few scenes are a 2000s performance, the audience loving it, and the Winx acquiring a new power, Onyx(the one known for being an animated perfume ad).
From here, everything spirals downhill with Annabelle mysteriously going missing. The six chase a figure running through the halls, who ends up being Louise, a jealous coworker. Who, apparently, "couldn't bear to see Annabelle living (her) dream." For a moment, I rolled my eyes, expecting them to sympathize with her possible kidnapper. Instead, Broom quickly snaps at her before they run off to find Annabelle. Good choice, though we never find out just what Louise did. The episode ends with a slight cliffhanger moment of Annabelle asking her kidnapper what his intentions are.
My thoughts? It's likable. Definitely still geared more towards the younger audience--the awkward pauses and lines bothered me a bit--but I could watch this through and enjoy it. I even went on to watch the second episode. The show is likable, definitely something to watch in the middle of July when I've found myself with nothing keeping me from writing and sleeping all day. The plot is solid, the characters are well drawn, animation is smooth, and the music is decent. My only issues are the pacing and dialogue. Though, considering it's garnered for eight to twelve-year-olds, it's excusable. To be frank, this was the same target audience the original Winx Club had in its first season--and it faced the same issues. The story line was solid, but the script was lacking due to being watered down. But it was lovable. And to the fans upset over Winx Club's newer seasons being aimed at four-year-olds, World of Winx is just the fix.

Poem Prompt: Green

Growth.

Hundreds of thousands

of millions of trees;

reaching for the sky,

seeking asylum.

From the moment they first sprout,

Their hopes and branches are high.

But they see this world.

The one we've made--

or destroyed--

and their souls are crushed.

They continue to grow,

weakened and frail.

Until they see the clouds,

the puffy white border

hiding away the heavens.

They stretch up--

Reach up--

Trees stand firm

for hundreds of years.

Ever growing--

Ever reaching--

for the heavens.

Naivety

"Naivety is the sister of innocence and the cousin of stupidity." ~ Pierre Decourcelle.

Though at times bliss, naivety brinks on pure idiocy.
Ignorance, ingenuousness, guilelessness, immaturity, unworldliness--however you want to dress it up, it's the lack of experience.
Now, it isn't necessarily a bad thing. Everyone and everything starts out completely naive. Babies minds picture the world in the brightest light and avoid incriminating anyone. But as the mind ages, becomes much easier to assume ulterior motives from others. It makes us distrustful, but also more cautious.
The most difficult part of being naive, is knowing that you are. Instead of growing out of that childlike set of mind, it sticks around. And the longer it does, the more issues it causes. I, for one, tend to act like this occasionally. At this point in my life, it's not as if I don't know. However, changing my inclinations truly does feel like the most difficult thing in the world. The other side appears so cynical. Doubting people, keeping to yourself, aware of the system's flaws. It sounds awful.
Though, I'm slowly making that transition, because awareness is more than useful in so many ways. For example, I took my SAT about a month ago. Ideally, it would be a measurement of knowledge to present to colleges. A "this is how much of everything I learned in thirteen years," just as a way to ensure you weren't just a lucky duck who could breeze right through grade and high school without picking up anything. But it's not. The SAT simply measures your test taking skills. How well can you figure out an exam and its tricks to then do well on it. There are about a million SAT programs, tips, advice, etc. A bunch of dumb rules like "do the math sections back to front" or "don't read the whole passage; only skim for answers." Truly, all these rules are just cheats, yes? However, if you were to ignore it all and sit down and try to test like you would've back in grade school, you will fail. The SAT isn't a measurement of one's knowledge, it's of their test taking skills.
What keeps a person trapped in naivety are situations like this. The more you open your eyes to something, the more unfair it'll appear. And quite frankly, that's the point. Naivety protects a person from ever thinking bad of anything they want to think good of. However, it doesn't defend them from those things. The person will face these challenges head on and will be forced out of their head.
However, to assume naivety as all bad is beyond false. The spark of childish innocence, that's where hopes and dreams come from. It's able to envision a future too good to be true, and use it to motivate you. It's not enough to focus on one or the other, you need a balance. Like everything else in life, they pull against each other, but need to still be used simultaneously. Maturity to keep you grounded with a backup plan, and immaturity to push you to reach as high as you can. Sometimes, realism unfiltered blocks out anything that isn't likely to happen.
And really, so what?
So what if what I want is near impossible? I see myself doing it, so I will strive.

Picture Prompt: Humble

Words and flowers frame and make a delicate picture

Together, they remind me that the world is mine to capture

Eleventh Lovely

October 13th.
The one day each year where the three of us set aside everything. I had the day off, and it was a Saturday. So this year, we spent the whole day together. From the moment I woke up, everything was just different. There really wasn't a proper word to explain it. Everything just seemed off in a way. Even my bed, which always remained a full, and I always slept on the left side. Opening my eyes, looking over, and seeing nothing always felt so odd. I guess I never really got over it. Instead, today, I saw a card. Crayons and markers--Couro's markings. We miss you, Mommy!
I laughed at it. A little doodle of our family, even Kutu. There were a few flowers on the border, probably because Couro loved flowers. Eventually, I opened and read it. A small message saying how much she missed her. They, actually. The handwriting was amazing and suspiciously resembled Gora's. They wished her well and prayed she was in Heaven. I reread it over and over before keeping it safely on my bedside. I ensured it was open and left it like that. Just to make sure she heard. The card helped me get up--I knew I still had my children with me.
After managing to get dressed, I went down and met Gora and Couro in the kitchen. Couro was on the table fiddling with a few pencils while Gora was at the counter mixing a batter together. No tears, no wailing, no pain. It was just us and our pancakes. We sat around the table, drizzling our food with syrup and silently munching. A calm, early morning breakfast, that was all.
That was all anything was. No one really talked. No one played games or tricks on each other. No yelling or arguing. We just went through the motions, smiling at each other and minding our own business. It was so, so quiet. It was always this quiet--we never really knew what to say to each other on this day. The silence used to be so deafening. It left me inside my head and with my own thoughts, something I used to hate. But after thinking about the same things over and over, I got used to it. I know what happened, I know I can't change it, and I know it'll have lasting effects on our small family. But, this was my life. It is my life. And it's okay.
Gora carried a bouquet of flowers and Couro brought another card. I drove us over to the graveyard. A silent car ride. The two of them sat still, watching the bushes on the side of the road as we passed them. Their only movements were bumps from the pavement. I gripped the steering wheel and drove on. Eventually, I parked and stepped out. They came out after me. I saw fear in Couro's face and took hold of her hand. This would be the first time I'm bringing her with me since the burial. Gora took her other hand, probably remembering when we first came here alone together. The little girl seemed to relax a little and squeezed my hand.
Looking around, I saw doves, blossoming trees and flowers. The sun shone down on the silvery stone graves, highlighting the loving words carved into all of them. It wasn't as gloomy as it was last year. It honestly looked like a peaceful place to rest in. I took a deep breath and led Gora and Couro over to Kutu's gravestone. Gathering around, the two of them dropped the gifts they'd brought with them. They fell on top of five years worth of flowers and cards. I took their hands and we all bowed as Couro said a short prayer.
In Loving Memory
Kutu Miske 
February 21, 1981 - October 13, 2015

Red

Blood, love, royalty--

on a flag, now loyalty.

A small pointy ribbon clip

as a sign of leadership.

Romantic yet frightening--

Attractive and enlightening--

The core of a fire.

The spark of a wire.

The color of the cross

dedicated to reducing loss.

Just hinting freezing faces

while filling burning places.

As a symbol of strength,

we go to great lengths

to emulate the beauty

of such a rarity.

Sadness

It plagues us all. Sometimes, more deeply than other occasions. And for some maybe for longer durations than others. Maybe a person has never really been truly happy. Maybe they’ve never been truly sad. Well, yet that would be.
Point is, everyone experiences sadness at some time in their life. We all can relate to a slump of a mood and being unable to smile.
Now, this Thought isn’t on depression, as that’s a whole different ballgame. Instead, I want to focus on the emotion of sadness; feeling down.
It’s defeating, to put it lightly. It occurs as a reaction to something, either direct or indirect. It can prove to be a boundary line, how much a person can take before it hits home. Whether it’s from an insult or outside pressure, it’s an important line to respect. Way too often, people scoff and even take offense to it. As if their own boundary line should be farther, or better yet, nonexistent. But, why? Why is insensitivity and "toughness" so valued? In reality, these aspects are what make humans, well, humane. A very key essence of our consciousness, and many other living creatures as well, is our ability to feel.
Emotions are at the very core of everything humanity does. War, love, power, peace--it all begins with a burning emotion inside of a person brave enough to follow their feelings. Every advancement and backward stumble was started with a person or group that felt strongly for their current society and wished to change it. The life humanity has built up didn't just burst from the ground out of nowhere. It stems from the will to build, the motivation to innovate, the passion for greatness. None of which would be possible with our unique fire of emotion.
While each emotion may not be the most productive or pleasant, they each serve a purpose. An emotion is simply a reaction. The world around you shifts, and you respond. Your reactions serve as a small push for your brain to activate and work. You now have a goal to achieve. Anger shows that something must be fixed, confusion shows that a discovery is in order, boredom shows that something is lacking. An emotion doesn't have to be positive to be positive. As long as it's regulated, any emotion could prove to be useful.
Even sadness. The too well-known feeling of helplessness, wanting to cry, abandonment, or just an inexplicable sour mood. This is the one that intrudes my personal psyche all too often. I've always been a sensitive person, and I had my relentless tears to prove it. I always searched for a way to block out my unhappiness or rush through it. "Let yourself cry," was always the most popular response. Okay then--I cried. I would cry and sob and heave, millions of thoughts flashing through my head. To this day, I still do this occasionally. Instead of thinking of why I'm sad, I'd think of everything that could/has upset me. Even scenarios that never played out in real life could roll through my brain. I only let it. Little did I know, this was how emotions hurt us.
The point of an emotion is to be a response. As out of the blue as it may seem, there is always a trigger. We can then take advantage of this by searching for the trigger. Humans seem to do this with every feeling they get, except sadness and anger. For some reason, however, of those two, one has been labeled as a weak mockery and the other an intense defense. Embracing sadness is anything but weak. If a person or thing has hurt you so much you can't even muster up anger, then that should serve as more reason to handle sadness cautiously. When the feeling starts to overcome you, find out why. Sometimes it's a petty insult, other times its a deeply rooted unsolved issue. Yes, "let yourself cry," but know why.

Picture Prompt: Your View

Is the sun setting or rising? Is that even a sun? 

It depends on the eye, you determine if it is one.