Driving In Fog

Base image by Katie Mourn on Unsplash

driving into fog

claustrophobic, frightening

life's that way sometimes

notes

https://experiencewriting.com/2023/10/20/oct-20-prompts-in-a-thick-fog/

Write a poem about a time you’ve been lost or felt lost.

I interpreted the prompt more literally. I created a Haiga about fog and compared it to life.

I hate driving in fog. It terrifies me. I've noped out of driving in fog more than once.

I don't understand the love some poets have for spoken word prompts. There is a 99.9% likelihood that I won't do them. I think I have done exactly one spoken word poem on this blog in the ten years since I started it, and that one was at my own behest. If other people suggest such a thing, I'll dig in my heels. I really don't like the sound of my own voice.

I had a bad time with my vocal cord dysfunction last night. Most of the time the exercises to stop the laryngospasms work. Sometimes they don't. Last night was one of those nights. It was one of the rare occasions when I thought about taking the lone Valium I have left over from my dental appointment. I didn't do it, though.

I also wonder why society thinks anyone over the age of fifty should just give up on life if they haven't yet achieved what society would deem "success." What the hell are we supposed to do, curl up in front of the TV and watch game shows, infotainment, and soap operas till we croak? I'd rather keep writing even if everyone else thinks my stories are shit.

A favorite quote:

I'd rather fail with my own shit than succeed with someone else's. --Eddie Van Halen

Oh yeah, I added text and special effects to the base image using Pixlr. You're welcome to share the resulting Haiga, but please credit Cara Hartley/Ornery Owl if you do.

~Ornery Owl Has Spoken~

Image by christinecuisiniez from Pixabay

As an owlet, Ornery Owl didn't fear no steenkin' fog.

Then again, the contrary little cuss never had to drive in the soup.

https://odysee.com/@GamingAmbience:6/mass-effect-le-uncharted-world-chohe:3?r=GTwnGJ4fFBQfzuJgpHVpfKBKaC9b8B16

Hidden

 

Image by Jenny Friedrichs from Pixabay

taught from a young age

that I was wrong

and stupid

ridiculous

the butt

of the joke

throat clenching

trying to keep from screaming

shame on everyone

who made me

what I am

ashamed

to be

me

notes

I added effects to the base image using Pixlr.

https://experiencewriting.com/2023/10/19/oct-19-prompts-screams-in-the-night/

Body Horror: Write a poem about the thing or things that scare you about the human body.

This could be a fun day to do a spoken poem. 

Hahahaha! Fun, you say? I think fucking not.

It's very rare for me to do a spoken poem. I don't like my voice, which has been ridiculed for most of my life.

I'm currently doing speech therapy. Not to change the sound of my voice but to correct vocal cord dysfunction. With vocal cord dysfunction, the vocal cords close on inspiration rather than opening. It's often misdiagnosed as asthma. Trust me, it makes having dental procedures a lot of fun--so not.

One of the primary causes of vocal cord dysfunction is anxiety. Like in people with complex PTSD. In other words, people with a history of relentless abuse.

I learned at a young age that I needed to keep quiet lest I be smacked for saying something stupid or ridiculed for having a peculiar voice. 

The knot of tears around my throat crystallized into my design. 

~Ornery Owl Has Spoken~

Image by Beate from Pixabay

https://odysee.com/@GamingAmbience:6/destiny-2-edz-firebase-hades-%28unreleased:9?r=GTwnGJ4fFBQfzuJgpHVpfKBKaC9b8B16