Continuing to ramble
Afloat upon a gentle stream,
We travel slowly, as if in dream.
But when the water turns too rough
To float along is not enough.
We must choose right now to fight,
To keep ourselves intact, upright,
To swim and kick and strive
To stay, heads up, alive.
Or perhaps, choose self-slaughter
Succumb to the crashing white water.
And float again instead
Because, too bad, we’re dead.
(Inspired by https://mstdn.io/@EdwardTorvalds )
Let’s go outside so we can play.
Or watch the birds through the window, hey?
Then after a yawn and a real good scratch,
We can take a nap in a sunny patch.
Pronunciation /əˈblɪɡət(ə)ri/
adjective
1 Required by a legal, moral, or other rule; compulsory.
1.1 (of a ruling) having binding force.
1.2 humorous So customary or fashionable as to be expected of everyone or on every occasion.
Origin
Late Middle English from late Latin obligatorius, from Latin obligat- ‘obliged’, from the verb obligare (see oblige).
On your time I must encroach,
But I’m not sure of the approach
Which I should choose to take
Because of what’s at stake.
In the muck I’ll wallow
Though it’s tough to swallow.
I am just out for attention,
Though it is with apprehension.
You may choose to ignore.
It’s your right for sure.
But I hope you may appreciate.
What the artists here create!
Working “out loud”
In writing’s context.
Work In Progress – proud
As an author reflects.
Seeking a strong mix
Of metaphor and rhyme
Using all the right tricks
For this moment in time.
A future rewrite
May improve on today’s
But by being in sight.
This version stays!
Thanks for the hook, @tellio@mastodon.social
Toki pona I don’t know.
To learn new talk can sure be slow.
But should it sometime happen
I’m sure I’ll let you know.
=====
Word of the Day – Toki Pona
Toki Pona is a philosophical artistic constructed language known for its small vocabulary. It was created by Canadian linguist and translator Sonja Lang for the purpose of simplifying thoughts and communication.
=====
This is a multi-purpose post. I’ve been working on a 3D print project which ties into my daily fun on the social media “fediverse”. Along the way, suggestions from others for mottos have been coming in.
Some have been recommendations for Latin mottos, but “E Pluribus Unum” has been taken.
One suggestion was “kunupu ni li ala je wan lala” which is in the toki pona language for “This community has no king.” As mentioned above, I don’t know the language, so I’m taking the word of a respected colleague.
The coin design is done using Inkscape and OpenSCAD. It’s a work in progress. The icon on the front is the logo of Mastodon, one of the popular versions of fediverse server softare. The other icon is the proposed fediverse logo.
Have fun.
Be creative.
Be safe.
What is that twig?
Oh, an alder sprig.
Find after search
It’s related to birch.
If you are nimble
You’ll fill ‘least a thimble
With exciting, new knowledge.
Make that your pledge.
#SmallPoems
Rhyme inspired by @aldersprig and #ThimblefulThursday
https://thimblefulthursday.wordpress.com/2020/04/02/thimbleful-thursday-challenge-36/
Evening star,
There you are.
Paired with a crescent moon
Like a well-loved recurring tune;
And with some orbit warning
I’ll see you both in the morning.
Thank you for the inspiration,
@mkwadee@mastodon.org.uk
Locked in with our fears, there remain opportunities to reach out to others. This Internet thing is one way to share with those who are close to us, and also to share across the vast oceans of our shared world.
I am always grateful for the positive chance encounters which social media and blogging provide.
Thanks to all of you who have had the interest to react to my posts!
Hugs to you all!
To bloom and wilt
It’s just the way
That flowers have been built.
But also made are many a seed
To fly and float away
From now’s limits they’re freed.
One season at a time
In our temperate clime
No limit of “today”.
Writing words can be an oddly interactive activity. My rhyme here is a response to a response to a response involving at least three writers.
Poetry is engaging and inspiring for me. Having a “conversation” of poems adds an enjoyable twist to part of my interaction with others. Blogging my rhymes here is part of the process. It is nice to get notices that someone has seen and liked a particular post.
Blogging here does not seem to engender much conversation, though. Not a complaint, just an observation. This platform seems designed for presentation of one person’s “stuff”, and I’m content with that, I guess.
This particular poetic “exchange” occurred in “The Fediverse” which is an eclectic mix of interconnected people who follow one another across the world. It’s a little bit like Twitter™, but has no corporate backing. A variety of individuals have created a network of interconnected servers which are termed “instances”. Other people choose to join an instance and set up an account at one of the servers. Then, they begin connecting with each other. The most interesting feature of the network is that I can connect not only with others on my instance, but with other people on other instances. There is not a single “hub”, so the cost of operation is spread out. Individual users choose to give the instance admin financial support. It is even possible for an individual to install the required software to run a single-user or “friends and family” instance.
There is similarity to blogging, as here on WordPress, but with “small” as a factor. It is microblogging. The typical post needs to fit in 500 characters. That makes for quicker, interactive exchanges than might be common with blogging. Less preparation, more off the cuff, more conversational.
Should you feel an urge to interact that way with me, I’m @Algot@mastodon.art. To get involved, you will need an account on a server which is part of the federated network. There are lots of them. Some, like mastodon.art where I’ve set up shop are focused and require an invitation. Writing.exchange is another focused option which might appeal to those who have followed this blog (perhaps for its rhymes).
Other instances are open for general registration. You can even start with one instance and get your bearings and then can easily migrate your account to a different server/instance.
Maybe you will enjoy a video introduction to Mastodon/The Fediverse is here: https://youtu.be/IPSbNdBmWKE (the official one) and another, a little longer one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S57uhCQBEk0
An effective way to start is to go to https://joinmastodon.org/ and look around. I also strongly recommend finding an instance other than Mastodon.social the one run by the developer of one popular fediverse server suite. There is nothing wrong with that instance. It is just huge with no particular focus. Like most instances, it has a set of rules. I think it is wise to read the rules of an instance you consider joining. Rules are social norms with which we should agree before diving into the federated network. You want to feel comfortable in the community, right?
