An Eighth Shot of Espresso: Coffee and Creativity on Mum's Third Shift

A collection of haiku and tanka using word prompts from "#vss365" om Twitter/X. Prompt words are marked with a #. I. A majestic bird she unfurls her wings in flight #proud and without fear. II. I don't have #remorse over what I can't control and no misplaced guilt loaded onto my shoulders I'm not my sister's keeper. III. A cheeky response brings smiles and rueful laughter or a stony glare depends on the audience and on their lack of humour. IV. #suspicious actions deflections are #successful all thanks to privilege. V. They are #astonished that not everyone believes the same as they do. VI. #Motivated by the pure goodness of your heart? Is there such a thing? VII. Hasty solution completely #rushed and bodged up and yet it still works! VIII. I am #overwhelmed by my body's odd workings and I wonder why it won't just work normally just like everyone else's? IX. I love the Islands they're warm and hospitable saying " #aloha ...

You never know what will resonate with the crowd. A five minute sketch or witty little ditty just a minor thought. Suddenly it's there being talked of, being shared and you are surprised. A portrait, a carefully crafted piece taking hours, days to complete garners no interest at all. Do you pander to the wave of what will get you seen what is the rage of the moment? What matters more, the numbers, the accolades or what your heart tells you? Do you go one way or the other or do you strike a balance between the popular and the sublime? If the mood is cynical and bitter do you change to match it? Or do you seek joy in the little things? The moment you decide to live for yourself they may forget who you are. Is that worth the pain or is the quiet too much for a restless soul?

Extra padding Going through and cutting through the fat Inflated statistics to make you look good. Obfuscate the truth and need to dig deep to see the reality. A salad of intelligent words nine or ten when only five should do A mess of sycophants when a handful of good friends will always have your back. See counts go down peace of mind go up See popularity dip and numbers shrink but lose the weight and fly free.

If all you look at are numbers statistics popularity you can be primed for disappointment. Four views three of those blogs promoting crypto and AI. Negativity and drama fueling clicks and arguments. Pandering to an audience hungry for content. Bad news generate revenue good news generate grumbling "this never happened. give me proof it did". Bite sized chunks for a ant sized attention span. Flashy music and graphics fake smiles and outrage hollow laughter covers unease. Desensitized to the horrors that life can unleash. "It could be worse" backseat analysts pass judgment. The hidden gems are buried in the dross: you have to make the effort to find them. If you want to open your mind and your heart and lift your spirits defy the algorithm.