PROMPT: Teachers

What makes a teacher great?

If a student (or students) voluntarily and enthusiastically come to learn from an individual, that individual is a great teacher.

The emphasis is on “to learn” because some people confuse great charisma with great pedagogy, but such people go to the charismatic person to take comfort from being in that person’s presence, not to learn — despite whatever truisms or clever-sounding parallel grammatical structures the charismatic individual might spout.

So, if one would go to an individual seeking knowledge, knowing the experience will be challenging and not merely comforting, one has found a great teacher.

Pale Blue [Haiku]

in the valley,
 among fields of brown & green:
  a pale blue village.

DAILY PHOTO: Tipu Sultan’s Lodge at Nandi Hills

Snail Wu Wei [Haiku]

a snail dangles,
 on a leaf, in its house,
   effortlessly.

PROMPT: Surgery

Daily writing prompt
Have you ever had surgery? What for?

Tonsillectomy; age 4. A couple others that I’m not sure constitute surgery (e.g. wisdom-teeth removal.)

Wasps [Haiku]

a hive of wasps,
each one frenetic:
do they never rest?

DAILY PHOTO: Nandibettu

Taken on July 1, 2023 at Nandi Hills

PROMPT: Daily Habits

Daily writing prompt
What are your daily habits?

The only optional activities I do every day are: reading, writing poetry, overhead hanging, and handstanding.

[Obviously, there are non-optional transport, hygienic, homeostatic, and metabolic maintenance activities: e.g. the breathing, peeing, pooping, walking, eating, toothbrushing, washing, etc.]

Laurel Clockvine [Haiku]

sunlight glows
 from the trumpet-hole
  of laurel clockvine.