Prompt: Who are they?

They say life is short
They say you can't avoid death or taxes
They say you can't take it with you
They say diamonds are a girl's best friend
They say dog is man's best friend
They say it's a dog's life
They say it's raining cats and dogs
They say black cats are bad luck
They say walk between the raindrops
They say don't walk under a ladder
They say beauty is in the eyes of the beholden
They say "'scuse me while I kiss this guy"
They say "wrapped up like a 'douche' you know the rumor in the night"
They say the night is young
They say the young and the restless
They say your mouth will be washed out with soap if you say that again
They say cleanliness is next to godliness
They say at most there is one god
They say let go and let god
They say go with the flow
They say take me to the river
They say you can never step into the same river twice
They say once bitten twice shy
They say once upon a time
They say and they lived happily ever after
They say the end

Prompt: Inheritance

Someone said, "Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the Earth." I'm certain I am not the only one who is aware of this statement, because if I have heard it, not once but numerous times, it has got to be in pretty wide circulation, if not ubiquitous. And, upon hearing it I've often thought, what does this sentence mean, exactly? Since I'm not one to read the ancient texts, I don't have much context for it and so have pondered the phrase as a stand alone idea. I'm aware that those in the know will chuckle at my ignorance, but I prefer not knowing the entire story. It gives me a chance to figure it out on my own terms. Lately, for instance, I've wondered if this statement is a prophesy. Again, there are probably multitudes who would respond with, "well, of course it is." Regardless, I still have questions, many of which can be distilled down to this: assuming we are not the meek in question, why is it that we, the non-meek, have insisted on our opposite-of-meek ways for well over two millenia when our non-meekness is so obviously counter-productive if not outright, literally, by inference, self-destructive?

Prompt: Outsider

Who hasn't at some time in their lives felt like an outsider? In the literal sense, before we're born, for approximately nine months, give or take a few weeks, we've all been insiders. Then, suddenly, we're outsiders, whether we want to be or not. Some say whole lives are spent trying to regain that insider status. Personally, I find being an outsider strangely comforting, literally liberating. With no walls to restrict movement, there is nothing but freedom.

Prompt: Among Us

This is what comes to mind immediately: Fungus, comma, there is a

and I write this as if it were indexed in back of a book entitled, "Among Us", under F, of course.

More subtly, I think of exclusion, because if it isn't among us, it is outside of us. The whole concept of inclusion, of being among us, and exclusion, being outside of us, has been on my mind lately. I don't think I'll be able to articulate my thoughts in the 15 minutes (less now that I've started writing) that we've allotted ourselves, but I will try to get down the gist of what I'm thinking.

I suppose this is my most overt confession, my most personal entry, which is a little hard for me since I've always felt like an outsider. I must've internalized this from my parents who are both awkward in social settings, but for different reasons. My mother came here from another country as an older teen where she met and then married my father who may not initially appear shy but who is a very introverted person. In addition to the fact that they were constantly at war with each other and the world around us, they managed to move our small family at least once a year, and, consequently, I attended 13 different public schools before graduating. I carried on the tradition well into my thirties. A body in motion stays in motion. And continuing in that vein, I've managed to veer far from the original prompt of "among us" vs. outside of us...which is to say what I've meant to get at is that it is difficult to feel among anyone when you are that mobile, when even your everyday thoughts include daydreams of a future home, elsewhere. And yet, I feel so happy here, writing with everyone, being part of this group, among us.

Prompt: Urban Art

There was a time I fantasized about doing graffiti. I knew of a woman where I worked who was part of a movement that worked on trains. By that I mean they tagged box cars or tankers or what have you with their paintings. Hers were small and figurative, spidery and haunting. I remember the feeling you got more than an exact image, so her work has stayed with me. She died very young, maybe in childbirth. Her story is heartrending. I hope her daughter and husband are well.

I still think about doing graffiti. I've even designed a small reproducible piece, easily copied, cut out and slapped on surfaces. What is my hesitation? Well, getting caught of course. Not because I'm an obvious choice for this kind of "crime", but because we're surrounded by cameras, constantly under surveillance. So, irony of ironies, if you ever see a small xeroxed eyeball staring out at you from a stop sign or the corner of a building, please don't let on that you know who the responsible party is.