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ilinkcs

@ilinkcs.bsky.social

hardship makes the weak resilient
made #potent by a #latent power
#dormant memories seed rebellion
the oppressors early cruel #euphoria
fades in the face of a people's resistance
the #color of freedom is a people's rage
the #color of Justice is a gray prison cell

#inkMine #poetry #poem #justice

January 8, 2026 at 4:32 PM

ilinkcs

@ilinkcs.bsky.social

YOUR PARTNER, NOT YOUR PROJECT

As a human being
with faults and flaws
no better nor worse than yours

know me as I am
accept me as I am
don’t curate
don’t remake.

We aren’t projects
to be reshaped.

ALT=deets
#poetry #poem #haiku #haiga #tanka
#partner #project #relationship

Poem: From your Point of View
from where you're standing
what value and worth do you see
how do you know me?
I am me intrinsically
not what you want me to be

paired with portions of the Artwork “Crumple" (2022) by the South African artist Gerhard Marx; exhibited in his solo exhibition, Landscape Would Be the Wrong Word, held at the Everard Read Gallery in Rosebank, Johannesburg.
Marx’s work often explores the tension between human presence and the physical environment, using a technique where he "maps" or re-configures landscapes.

For contemplation only; a low-res copy of the original, unsuitable for commercial use, ©owner
This image ©ilinkcs (2025/12)

January 8, 2026 at 11:24 AM

ilinkcs

@ilinkcs.bsky.social

clean willow wand

#ThreeWordGenre #prompt #January
Day 08: bare branch (leafless limb)

@threewordgenre.bsky.social
#poem #poetry #micropoetry
#barebranch (#leafless #limb)
#clean #willow #wand

January 7, 2026 at 10:29 PM

ilinkcs

@ilinkcs.bsky.social

Aux armes, citoyens!
.
.
.
(call to arms in the French National Anthem - the Marseillaise)
.
#ThreeWordGenre #prompt #January
Day 07: clarion (clear ringing call)

@threewordgenre.bsky.social
#poem #poetry #micropoetry
#clarion #clear #ringing #call
#mireillemathieu

youtu.be/lq8T0oTa120?...

mireille mathieu..la marseillaise..1969 hd

YouTube video by Brunopiafou Brunopiafou

youtu.be

January 6, 2026 at 9:53 PM

ilinkcs

@ilinkcs.bsky.social

nature’s restorative power

#ThreeWordGenre #prompt #January
Day 06: fallow (resting, unused)

@threewordgenre.bsky.social
#poem #poetry #micropoetry
#fallow #resting, #unused
#natures #restorative #power

January 5, 2026 at 9:42 PM

ilinkcs

@ilinkcs.bsky.social

chilling silence settled

#ThreeWordGenre #prompt #January
Day 05: stillness (complete quiet)

@threewordgenre.bsky.social
#poem #poetry #micropoetry
#stillness #complete #quiet
#chilling #silence #settled

January 4, 2026 at 8:28 PM

ilinkcs

@ilinkcs.bsky.social

Putin’s acolyte
trumpeted the change of name
no longer defending
nor pretending
making war
for Oslo’s prize of peace

ALT=deets
#poetry #poem #tanka #haiga
#war #dod #dow

Poem: Masters of war
In the people's name
DOD defended me
DOW ironically
apocalyptically
Masters of War not peace

paired with US War department seal.
Image for contemplation only; a low-res copy of the original, unsuitable for commercial use, ©owner
This image ©ilinkcs (2026/01)

January 3, 2026 at 9:25 PM

ilinkcs

@ilinkcs.bsky.social

ember’s cooling incandescence

#ThreeWordGenre #prompt #January
Day 04: afterlight (lingering glow)

@threewordgenre.bsky.social
#poem #poetry #micropoetry
#afterlight #Lingering #glow
#embers #cooling #incandescence

January 3, 2026 at 8:25 PM

ilinkcs

@ilinkcs.bsky.social

grandpa’s silent glare

#ThreeWordGenre #prompt #January
Day 03:resolve (firm determination)

@threewordgenre.bsky.social
#poem #poetry #micropoetry
#resolve #firm #determination
#grandpa #silent #glare

January 3, 2026 at 7:06 AM

ilinkcs

@ilinkcs.bsky.social

good fortune me laddies
the lady has answered to me
a drink for us all
at the bonnie town hall
the freedom she's given to me

#poetry #tanka
#Weekend #Prompt #inkMine #fortune
#freedom #bonnie #town #hall
@inkmine.bsky.social

January 2, 2026 at 7:12 PM

ilinkcs

@ilinkcs.bsky.social

white light fever

#ThreeWordGenre #prompt #January
Day 02: whiteout (blinding snowstorm)

@threewordgenre.bsky.social
#poem #poetry #micropoetry
#whiteout #blinding #snowstorm
#white #light #fever

January 2, 2026 at 4:38 PM

ilinkcs

@ilinkcs.bsky.social

impregnation destination ward

#ThreeWordGenre #prompt #January
Day 01: inception (beginning, origin)

@threewordgenre.bsky.social
#poem #poetry #micropoetry
#inception #beginning #origin
#impregnation #destination #ward

January 1, 2026 at 10:12 PM

ilinkcs

@ilinkcs.bsky.social

Tanka,
inspired by the weekly Thursday challenge,
and
by an artwork I stood before in June 2024 at Zeitz MOCAA, created by Nandipha Mntambo

ALT=details of work
#poetry #poem #haiku #tanka #haiga
#Weekend #Prompt #TankaThursday #TankaPoem #micropoetry #blue #sky

Poem: Blue Sky Fraught
you happy? - a question
stemming from a question
tiny misconception
just a bit of blue sky thought
unaccountably fraught

paired with a part of an artwork, number 4 of a series titled **"Actos de fé que estão entre mãe e" (Acts of faith between you and me), created by Nandipha Mntambo in 2011; 121 x 151cm a mixed media piece of application of cow hair, charcoal, and ink on paper. It was exhibited at Zeitz MOCAA in Cape Town in June 2024 exhibited as part of the "Selections from the Collection" show on Level 2. The piece uses cow hair to explore memory, maternal relationships, and the uncanny boundary between human and animal forms.

When I stood before the piece I noticed a reflection of another work. I had the sense that within the one piece there was a question, of something light and natural, suppressed within her. an unanswered question about her life.
Artwork for contemplation only; a low-res copy of the original, unsuitable for commercial use, ©owner (Zeitz MOCAA)
This image ©ilinkcs (2025/12)

December 31, 2025 at 10:38 PM

ilinkcs

@ilinkcs.bsky.social

Happy New Year!

ALT=details of image
#poetry #poem #tanka #haiku #haiga #happynewyear

Poem: 2026 happy new year
the ox and the boy
riding home from the field
year and season done
twenty five’s behind us
new year's dawning, calling

paired with Artwork by Gyokusei Jikihara (1904–2005), “Riding the OX Home” for contemplation only; a low-res copy of the original, unsuitable for commercial use, ©owner
This image ©ilinkcs (2025/12)

only one thing on my mind today
HAPPY NEW YEAR!

The artwork is attributed to Gyokusei Jikihara (1904–2005), a renowned Japanese Zen priest and master of Nanga (literary ink painting).
His version of the Ox-Herding series became globally famous through its inclusion in the book Riding the Ox Home: Stages on the Path of Enlightenment by the Zen teacher John Daido Loori.
Significance of the Artwork
The Ten Ox-Herding Pictures serve as an allegory for the path to enlightenment. In this specific stage:
The Boy: Represents the seeker or the "self."
The Ox: Represents one's true nature or the enlightened mind.
The Flute: Symbolizes the joy and effortless harmony found once the "struggle" of training the mind (the ox) is over.
The Scene: The struggle to capture and tame the ox is over; the boy is now effortlessly riding the animal home, playing his flute as they move through a tranquil landscape.

December 31, 2025 at 12:53 PM

ilinkcs

@ilinkcs.bsky.social

.
big bang bash

#ThreeWordGenre #prompt #December #poetry
Day 31 ‘genesis’ origin story tale

@threewordgenre.bsky.social
#poem #poetry #micropoetry
#genesis #origin #story #tale
#big #bang #bash

December 30, 2025 at 10:49 PM

ilinkcs

@ilinkcs.bsky.social

What's on my mind tonight
is emotional weight

Men, we carry it
in a sac somewhere between the stomach
and the heart

And since it's not in any part
on any biological chart
folks think its an illusion
just a masculine confusion.

ALT=deets
#poetry #poem #haiku #haiga #stoic #stoicism
#classicmovie

Poem: plastic Jesus
it's not in any part
on any biological chart
man's emotional weight

paired with still from Cool Hand Luke playing the banjo and singing the Plastic Jesus song, in mourning for the passing of his mother, and him locked up here in a prison.
Paul Newman, incomparable.
For contemplation only; a low-res copy of the original, unsuitable for commercial use, ©owner
This image ©ilinkcs (2025/12)

Emotional weight.
Men carry it too,
its there.
I know its there
because I've felt it there.

I remember Paul Newman
showing it
(because you can't describe it
you need an actor
or someone like
to vibe it)

Cool Hand Luke
Paul Newman
a Banjo
a plastic Jesus
and a sweet Madonna.

and a bunch of hard men
giving space to one of their own
mourning

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-0BCUPM4tk

December 30, 2025 at 10:32 PM

ilinkcs

@ilinkcs.bsky.social

Books to take time over

Some books are read at speed
some skimmed
and others philosophically
A few
the very few
the very special few
contemplatively

ALT=deets
#poetry #poem #haiku #haiga #poorthings #alasdairgray
#book #books