Trawling through
the Ladies' Market
in search
of meaningful
mementos
while high
on a mélange
of incense,
curried fish balls,
and durian;
A detailed figurine
in #jade
caught your eye
"It reminds me of
childhood," you said
"It's how much?!"
I replied
moving on
#vss365 #prompt
The main characters of Journey to the West: the Monkey King, the Jade Dragon, the pig demon, the sand demon, and the Longevity Monk.
It's April 21, 2026, and today's mythology-inspired #vss365 #prompt is #jade! Like the Jade dragon from Journey to the West.
This culturally defining Ancient Chinese epic features a wonderfully colorful main cast, helmed by the wonderfully rebellious Monkey King!
Did you hear
he bleached his
coral?
Oh, that's such
a human fad—
Ever since
his daughter
joined them
he's less
royalty
than Dad
From the oil
on the ceiling
To those plastic
turtle ties
As she sings
another chorus
it's our dignity
that dies...
Under the sea
#vss365 #prompt #undersea
The dragon god Ryujin, a king of the ocean, overlooking green waters in a robed, long-haired human form. The sea reflects his dragon form.
The April 20, 2026 folklore-inspired #vss365 #prompt: #undersea! As in the coral palace of the Japanese sea god, the dragon Ryūjin (龍神).
A tumultuous and powerful god, Ryūjin can take human form and can be as helpful and benevolent as he can be formidable.
Anansi, depicted as a handsome man with shoulder-length dreadlocks, a spider earing, a blue robe, and eight limbs (six arms and two legs). He is admiring a gold thread and there's a starry sky background.
The April 19, 2026 folklore-inspired #vss365 #prompt: #trickery! Inspired by the West African trickster, Anansi.
Often (but not always) depicted as a spider, Anansi represents wisdom, wit, cleverness, and defiance. He originates in southern Ghana, with the Akan people.
Want a grifter?
Ours gaslight
with gusto and glee
Our fraudsters the
fleeciest
you'll ever see
Our #trickery
is tantamount
to thwarted intention
excised expectation:
Divine intervention
Trust us with your
alibi, bribery, ruse
We'll be the last
company
you'll ever choose
#vss365 #prompt #trickery
Deceit R Us
Is us? Are we?
—We'll sort the
branding later
(and the matter
of our fee)
We have conmen
and connivers
who can fabricate
a fiction
to facilitate
a falsehood
while forestalling
any friction
#vss365 #prompt #trickery 1/2
Take upon you now
a cloak of competence
and grace;
Your actions set
the model
that our followers
embrace
What followers
you ask?
It is a pity
what befell:
Your predecessor’s
actions
had them
hurrying
to Hell
#vss365 #prompt #investiture #poetry #poem #amwriting #writingcommunity
Nezha, depicted as childlike, wearing red with a blue flaming flaming spear and wheels, and a night sky background.
It’s April 18, 2026, and today's mythology-inspired #vss365 #prompt: #investiture! As in Investiture of the Gods.
This sprawling, violent, very cool Ancient Chinese epic introduces Nezha (哪吒). One of my very favorite gods, I find him to be awesomely rebellious and punk rock.
I long to return
by shell and by sea
into the surf
beyond the lee
Subsume this long
forgotten soul
beneath the waves
into the whole;
Oblivion—
and then rebirth
when once more
Beauty
roams this Earth
#vss365 #prompt #seafoam #aphrodite #greekmyth #mythology #poetry #poem #amwriting
Aphrodite or Venus with rosy gold hair riding a white swan with doves and roses around.
The April 17, 2026 mythology-inspired #vss365 #prompt: #seafoam!
In reference to the birth of the Greek goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and fertility, Aphrodite.🦢
Friday is associated with her, and with other goddesses associated with her. A day of love and beauty!
His first word
was #hammer
he’d follow his Dad
by nurture a tinker—
by nature a gad
His curse was
to falter
to fumble and flail
His passage
so pointless
for want
of a nail
#vss365 #prompt #poetry #poem #amwriting #writingcommunity
Thor in a red furred cloak with long red hair and lightning in the background.
It’s April 16, 2026, and today’s mythology-inspired #vss365 #prompt is #hammer! As in hammer of the gods.
The prompt feels appropriate for today, because it's Thursday; a day of the week named after the Norse god Thor!
You can have
my hand
my body
but my #word
went long ago;
It was uttered
with abandon
to a deity
I know
And I've forged
a thousand fables
but the morals
mostly melt
I have worn
a thousand labels—
but betrayal's
what she felt
#vss365 #prompt #poetry #poem #amwriting #writingcommunity
My run as host ends with another false cognate, which has the same spelling but different meanings. In Afrikaans, this one is to become, but it's a unit of language in English. Many people want the last one, making it apt for today. The #vss365 #prompt for April 15, 2026 is #word
Nightblood, in the Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson - A demonic sword with a vocal need for validation and purpose, given to a fallen, humourless character.
My cursive’s
indecipherable
(my printing
struggles too)
A lefty
left to scratch
and scrawl
no #loops
or curlicues
Thank Buddha
for the printing press
(YMMV)
Escaping
years of smudgy
stress
The keyboard
set me free
#vss365 #prompt #loop
For my penultimate prompt, I'm changing course. A false cognate (or false friend!) has the same spelling in English and Afrikaans, but different meanings. Today's means walk in Afrikaans, but it's a circle or cycle in English. The #vss365 #prompt for April 14, 2026 is #loop
“And what
are your
#letters, son?”
she asked,
with condescending
glee—
“An MBA?
A BSc?
Or maybe
PhD?”
The boy replied
before a blink
could countermand
his cool,
“I weigh a
person
for themself;
not where
they went
to school.”
#vss365 #prompt
In English, it's a retro way of corresponding. In English and Afrikaans, it's a cognate word for the characters, symbols or script in which we read and write. There are about 150 to 300 such systems globally, some no longer used. The #vss365 #prompt for April 13, 2026 is #letters
“These #waters grant
forgiveness
these waters grant
relief
from any guilt
that ails thee —
the answers lie
beneath!”
The sermon
summoned
sinners
who were duly
dunked
and
drowned
We righteous
were the
winners
when that preacher
came to town
#vss365 #prompt #water #poetry #poem #amwriting
Our bodies and the earth mostly consist of it. Some fear it, but we need it to live - or to drown. It separates us and keeps us apart. But we can cross it to explore, escape and reunite. It's a cognate in English and Afrikaans. The #vss365 #prompt for April 12, 2026 is #water
The plumber knows
the secrets
that linger down this drain
The blood
The tears
The makeup
smears
All #sink —
And all
remain
The traps are not
eternal
But residue will grow:
A bioactive
journal
of the secrets
plumbers
know
#vss365 #prompt #poetry #poem #amwriting
In English, it's another word for a washbasin. In Afrikaans, it's a type of metal. In both languages, it's a cognate word meaning to go under, to submerge, to descend, to plunge. The #vss365 #prompt for April 11, 2026 is #sink
Those nightmares
where the fade
to black
is imperceptibly slow
and then all too real
Eyes gasping
like lungs
for a photon
to register
a receptor
to fire
And the dawning
realisation
that this place
is different
in the dark
#vss365 #prompt #blind
It's a window covering in English. But in both English and Afrikaans, it's a cognate word meaning to be visually impaired or entirely without sight. Imagine having to depend on your other senses to navigate, read, work and survive. The #vss365 #prompt for April 9, 2026 is #blind
On either side the river lie
The #banks that keep the township dry,
But garner not a single sigh—
As by the field the waters high
Are swept away from Camelot;
The sands that twinkle on the border
Clay behind, bestowing order
Stand defiant to the water
Round about Shalott.
#vss365 #bank #tennyson
