#w-3 — Public Fediverse posts on home.social

The Skeptic's Kaddish @[email protected] · 2026-07-07 · 21:33 UTC

W3 Prompt #219: Wea’ve Written Weekly

Intro

Dear friends,

Welcome to our W3 Poetry Prompt, which goes live on Wednesdays at The Skeptic’s Kaddish.

You may click here for a fuller explanation of W3; but here’s the ‘tldr’ version:

Part I

The main ingredient of W3 is a weekly poem written by a Poet of the Week (PoW), which participants read before participating in the prompt.

Part II

The second ingredient is a writing guideline (or two) provided by the PoW. Guidelines may include, but are not limited to: word counts, poetic forms, inclusion of specific words, and use of particular poetic devices.

Part III

After five days, when the prompt closes, the PoW shall select one participant’s poem as the W3 prompt for the following week, and its author becomes the next PoW.

Simple enough, right?

Kindly note: All entries for the W3 poetry prompt must be the original work of the submitting author. AI-generated poetry is not permitted.

Okie dokie ~ Let’s do this thing!

I. The prompt poem:

‘Freedom’ by Violet Lentz

at fifteen
i didn’t question
your packing up my life
in a garbage bag
and sending me to gramma’s
i wanted my freedom
i saw being sent away
as you giving it to me
i thought i had won

at twenty five
i didn’t question
abandoning my marriage
and two children
to recapture the freedom
i perceived
as having been stolen from me
surely the end
would justify the means

at thirty five
i didn’t question
getting clean
i knew it was
either quit- or die
so i quit- because
too much freedom
had in the end
taken me hostage

at forty five
i looked into
the eyes of a woman
i had never seen before
she told me:

that fifteen year olds
don’t get garbage bags
full of freedom

that twenty five year olds
can disappear- but
never really leave-
(their children behind)

that thirty five year olds
never really get clean,,
they just quit using….

and that the only way
to ever really catch freedom
is to stop running…

II. Jodi’s prompt: Tell it slant

This week, we take our inspiration from Emily Dickinson’s famous poem:

Tell all the truth but tell it slant —
Success in Circuit lies
Too bright for our infirm Delight
The Truth’s superb surprise
As Lightning to the Children eased
With explanation kind
The Truth must dazzle gradually
Or every man be blind —

For this prompt, write a poem in which every line is a lie — except one.

You may take this playfully, seriously, mysteriously, or emotionally. Your “lies” might be obvious falsehoods, gentle self-deceptions, exaggerations, masks, evasions, myths, dreams, denials, or things the speaker wishes were true. Somewhere in the poem, however, let one line tell the truth plainly.

Extra credit: Try writing your poem as a Golden Shovel.

A Golden Shovel poem borrows a line from an existing poem and uses each word from that borrowed line, in order, as the final word of each line in your new poem. For example, if you use Dickinson’s line “Tell all the truth but tell it slant,” your poem would have eight lines, ending with: Tell / all / the / truth / but / tell / it / slant.

As always, let the prompt lead you where it wants to go!

III. Submit: Click on ‘Mister Linky’ below

In order to participate and share a poem, open up this blog post, outside of the WordPress reader. At the bottom, just below these words, you will see a small rectangular graphic with the words ‘Mr Linky’. Click on that to submit.

Submissions are open for 5 days, until Monday, July 13, 10:00 AM (GMT+2)

Last week’s W3 poem

This week’s W3 prompt poem (above), composed by Jodi, was written in response to last week’s W3 prompt poem, which Benji wrote:

‘The scent of herbs’ by Benjamin Nambu

returning home on foot after work
through a shortcut behind houses
poorly planned
bumped into a lady burning weed
after sweeping her backyard
the scent of herbs reminds me
of my childhood
when I used to follow dad to the farm
my happiest moments were in the afternoons
when we paused for the lunch
of roasted yam with agushi stew
A mouse or two hovering over hot coals
from their long poles
as if in prayer, dripping with oil
here I was, a city boy missing village life
some village teen seated somewhere in a village daydreaming of life in a city they might never see

#Community #CreativeWriting #Freedom #Inspiration #Poem #Poetry #Prompt #Routine #Silence #W3

#w3 #silence #routine #prompt #poetry #poem

Reverend Elvis @[email protected] · 2026-07-07 · 07:00 UTC

Slave to the #system?
I deliberately left the bit about Bitcoin in my #Cypherpunk Manifesto article. I’d copied it and included a link to it. It was addressed to the W3 crowd on Nostr, who see Bitcoin as the savior. Here, Bitcoin is seen as the Antichrist, facilitating the rise of fascism. Both are oversimplified analyses. That’s why I’d been hoping for a discussion, as I’m not entirely sure myself.

However, both #Thiel and #Musk made their fortunes through predatory platforms, mainly via #PayPal. The most horrific things in the world happen because #BlackRock and the like speculate on food. Because the military-industrial complex is flooding the world with weapons. All without Bitcoin or crypto. There’s also the Bitcoin Africa movement, which simply doesn’t fit into the ‘scammer-hater’ narrative.

Nevertheless, I think that as long as the world is ruled by #money (and it will be for a long time to come), it’s better to have decentralized money than #centralized money managed by states or companies. In Germany, they say, ‘Money doesn’t stink’. With money, you can buy flowers for your loved one or weapons to fight the enemy.

The dollar and the euro are ultimately controlled by a select few.. Crypto could, if viewed positively, be #democratic. I think this is a worthwhile discussion.
Think in terms of #structures, not #ideologies.

https://word.undead-network.de/2026/07/07/slave-to-the-system/
#bitcoin #crypto #decentral #freedom #money #slavery #w3 #www3

#system #cypherpunk #thiel #musk #paypal #blackrock

Reverend Elvis @[email protected] · 2026-07-07 · 07:00 UTC

Slave to the #system?
I deliberately left the bit about Bitcoin in my #Cypherpunk Manifesto article. I’d copied it and included a link to it. It was addressed to the W3 crowd on Nostr, who see Bitcoin as the savior. Here, Bitcoin is seen as the Antichrist, facilitating the rise of fascism. Both are oversimplified analyses. That’s why I’d been hoping for a discussion, as I’m not entirely sure myself.

However, both #Thiel and #Musk made their fortunes through predatory platforms, mainly via #PayPal. The most horrific things in the world happen because #BlackRock and the like speculate on food. Because the military-industrial complex is flooding the world with weapons. All without Bitcoin or crypto. There’s also the Bitcoin Africa movement, which simply doesn’t fit into the ‘scammer-hater’ narrative.

Nevertheless, I think that as long as the world is ruled by #money (and it will be for a long time to come), it’s better to have decentralized money than #centralized money managed by states or companies. In Germany, they say, ‘Money doesn’t stink’. With money, you can buy flowers for your loved one or weapons to fight the enemy.

The dollar and the euro are ultimately controlled by a select few.. Crypto could, if viewed positively, be #democratic. I think this is a worthwhile discussion.
Think in terms of #structures, not #ideologies.

https://word.undead-network.de/2026/07/07/slave-to-the-system/
#bitcoin #crypto #decentral #freedom #money #slavery #w3 #www3

#system #cypherpunk #thiel #musk #paypal #blackrock

Reverend Elvis @[email protected] · 2026-07-07 · 07:00 UTC

Slave to the #system?
I deliberately left the bit about Bitcoin in my #Cypherpunk Manifesto article. I’d copied it and included a link to it. It was addressed to the W3 crowd on Nostr, who see Bitcoin as the savior. Here, Bitcoin is seen as the Antichrist, facilitating the rise of fascism. Both are oversimplified analyses. That’s why I’d been hoping for a discussion, as I’m not entirely sure myself.

However, both #Thiel and #Musk made their fortunes through predatory platforms, mainly via #PayPal. The most horrific things in the world happen because #BlackRock and the like speculate on food. Because the military-industrial complex is flooding the world with weapons. All without Bitcoin or crypto. There’s also the Bitcoin Africa movement, which simply doesn’t fit into the ‘scammer-hater’ narrative.

Nevertheless, I think that as long as the world is ruled by #money (and it will be for a long time to come), it’s better to have decentralized money than #centralized money managed by states or companies. In Germany, they say, ‘Money doesn’t stink’. With money, you can buy flowers for your loved one or weapons to fight the enemy.

The dollar and the euro are ultimately controlled by a select few.. Crypto could, if viewed positively, be #democratic. I think this is a worthwhile discussion.
Think in terms of #structures, not #ideologies.

https://word.undead-network.de/2026/07/07/slave-to-the-system/
#bitcoin #crypto #decentral #freedom #money #slavery #w3 #www3

#system #cypherpunk #thiel #musk #paypal #blackrock

Reverend Elvis @[email protected] · 2026-07-07 · 07:00 UTC

Slave to the #system?
I deliberately left the bit about Bitcoin in my #Cypherpunk Manifesto article. I’d copied it and included a link to it. It was addressed to the W3 crowd on Nostr, who see Bitcoin as the savior. Here, Bitcoin is seen as the Antichrist, facilitating the rise of fascism. Both are oversimplified analyses. That’s why I’d been hoping for a discussion, as I’m not entirely sure myself.

However, both #Thiel and #Musk made their fortunes through predatory platforms, mainly via #PayPal. The most horrific things in the world happen because #BlackRock and the like speculate on food. Because the military-industrial complex is flooding the world with weapons. All without Bitcoin or crypto. There’s also the Bitcoin Africa movement, which simply doesn’t fit into the ‘scammer-hater’ narrative.

Nevertheless, I think that as long as the world is ruled by #money (and it will be for a long time to come), it’s better to have decentralized money than #centralized money managed by states or companies. In Germany, they say, ‘Money doesn’t stink’. With money, you can buy flowers for your loved one or weapons to fight the enemy.

The dollar and the euro are ultimately controlled by a select few.. Crypto could, if viewed positively, be #democratic. I think this is a worthwhile discussion.
Think in terms of #structures, not #ideologies.

https://word.undead-network.de/2026/07/07/slave-to-the-system/
#bitcoin #crypto #decentral #freedom #money #slavery #w3 #www3

#crypto #www3 #w3 #slavery #freedom #decentral

The Skeptic's Kaddish @[email protected] · 2026-07-02 · 07:00 UTC

The ghost, or: The silence

A Sijo

for one year, Kaddish gave my loss
a borrowed ancient voice;
then silence marked the threshold
between mourning and forever;
I withdrew after the last amen
but returned to words as breathing

W3 poetry prompt

For Benji’s W3 prompt this week, he invites us to reflect on the quiet we long for, and what happens when it finally arrives. He asks us to consider the uneasy space after busyness, obligation, noise, or familiar chaos has ended, when freedom may first feel welcome but later reveal loneliness, memory, regret, or unexpected clarity.

Sijo?

A Korean verse form related to haiku and tanka and comprised of three lines of 14-16 syllables each, for a total of 44-46 syllables. Each line contains a pause near the middle, similar to a caesura, though the break need not be metrical. The first half of the line contains six to nine syllables; the second half should contain no fewer than five. Originally intended as songs, sijo can treat romantic, metaphysical, or spiritual themes. Whatever the subject, the first line introduces an idea or story, the second supplies a “turn,” and the third provides closure. Modern sijo are sometimes printed in six lines.

Let’s write poetry together!

Would you like to create poetry with me and have a completed poem of yours featured here at the Skeptic’s Kaddish? I am very excited to have launched the ‘Poetry Partners’ initiative and am looking forward to meeting and creating with you… Check it out!

#Grief #Kaddish #Loss #Mourning #Poem #Poetry #SelfExpression #Sijo #Threshold #W3 #Writing

#grief #kaddish #loss #mourning #poem #poetry

The Skeptic's Kaddish @[email protected] · 2026-07-02 · 07:00 UTC

The ghost, or: The silence

A Sijo

for one year, Kaddish gave my loss
a borrowed ancient voice;
then silence marked the threshold
between mourning and forever;
I withdrew after the last amen
but returned to words as breathing

W3 poetry prompt

For Benji’s W3 prompt this week, he invites us to reflect on the quiet we long for, and what happens when it finally arrives. He asks us to consider the uneasy space after busyness, obligation, noise, or familiar chaos has ended, when freedom may first feel welcome but later reveal loneliness, memory, regret, or unexpected clarity.

Sijo?

A Korean verse form related to haiku and tanka and comprised of three lines of 14-16 syllables each, for a total of 44-46 syllables. Each line contains a pause near the middle, similar to a caesura, though the break need not be metrical. The first half of the line contains six to nine syllables; the second half should contain no fewer than five. Originally intended as songs, sijo can treat romantic, metaphysical, or spiritual themes. Whatever the subject, the first line introduces an idea or story, the second supplies a “turn,” and the third provides closure. Modern sijo are sometimes printed in six lines.

Let’s write poetry together!

Would you like to create poetry with me and have a completed poem of yours featured here at the Skeptic’s Kaddish? I am very excited to have launched the ‘Poetry Partners’ initiative and am looking forward to meeting and creating with you… Check it out!

#Kaddish #Poetry #Mourning #Grief #Loss #Poem #Writing #Sijo #SelfExpression #W3 #Threshold

#kaddish #poetry #mourning #grief #loss #poem

The Skeptic's Kaddish @[email protected] · 2026-07-02 · 07:00 UTC

The ghost, or: The silence

A Sijo

for one year, Kaddish gave my loss
a borrowed ancient voice;
then silence marked the threshold
between mourning and forever;
I withdrew after the last amen
but returned to words as breathing

W3 poetry prompt

For Benji’s W3 prompt this week, he invites us to reflect on the quiet we long for, and what happens when it finally arrives. He asks us to consider the uneasy space after busyness, obligation, noise, or familiar chaos has ended, when freedom may first feel welcome but later reveal loneliness, memory, regret, or unexpected clarity.

Sijo?

A Korean verse form related to haiku and tanka and comprised of three lines of 14-16 syllables each, for a total of 44-46 syllables. Each line contains a pause near the middle, similar to a caesura, though the break need not be metrical. The first half of the line contains six to nine syllables; the second half should contain no fewer than five. Originally intended as songs, sijo can treat romantic, metaphysical, or spiritual themes. Whatever the subject, the first line introduces an idea or story, the second supplies a “turn,” and the third provides closure. Modern sijo are sometimes printed in six lines.

Let’s write poetry together!

Would you like to create poetry with me and have a completed poem of yours featured here at the Skeptic’s Kaddish? I am very excited to have launched the ‘Poetry Partners’ initiative and am looking forward to meeting and creating with you… Check it out!

#Grief #Kaddish #Loss #Mourning #Poem #Poetry #SelfExpression #Sijo #Threshold #W3 #Writing

#grief #kaddish #loss #mourning #poem #poetry

The Skeptic's Kaddish @[email protected] · 2026-07-02 · 07:00 UTC

The ghost, or: The silence

A Sijo

for one year, Kaddish gave my loss
a borrowed ancient voice;
then silence marked the threshold
between mourning and forever;
I withdrew after the last amen
but returned to words as breathing

W3 poetry prompt

For Benji’s W3 prompt this week, he invites us to reflect on the quiet we long for, and what happens when it finally arrives. He asks us to consider the uneasy space after busyness, obligation, noise, or familiar chaos has ended, when freedom may first feel welcome but later reveal loneliness, memory, regret, or unexpected clarity.

Sijo?

A Korean verse form related to haiku and tanka and comprised of three lines of 14-16 syllables each, for a total of 44-46 syllables. Each line contains a pause near the middle, similar to a caesura, though the break need not be metrical. The first half of the line contains six to nine syllables; the second half should contain no fewer than five. Originally intended as songs, sijo can treat romantic, metaphysical, or spiritual themes. Whatever the subject, the first line introduces an idea or story, the second supplies a “turn,” and the third provides closure. Modern sijo are sometimes printed in six lines.

Let’s write poetry together!

Would you like to create poetry with me and have a completed poem of yours featured here at the Skeptic’s Kaddish? I am very excited to have launched the ‘Poetry Partners’ initiative and am looking forward to meeting and creating with you… Check it out!

#Grief #Kaddish #Loss #Mourning #Poem #Poetry #SelfExpression #Sijo #Threshold #W3 #Writing

#writing #w3 #threshold #sijo #selfexpression #poetry

The Skeptic's Kaddish @[email protected] · 2026-07-02 · 07:00 UTC

The ghost, or: The silence

A Sijo

for one year, Kaddish gave my loss
a borrowed ancient voice;
then silence marked the threshold
between mourning and forever;
I withdrew after the last amen
but returned to words as breathing

W3 poetry prompt

For Benji’s W3 prompt this week, he invites us to reflect on the quiet we long for, and what happens when it finally arrives. He asks us to consider the uneasy space after busyness, obligation, noise, or familiar chaos has ended, when freedom may first feel welcome but later reveal loneliness, memory, regret, or unexpected clarity.

Sijo?

A Korean verse form related to haiku and tanka and comprised of three lines of 14-16 syllables each, for a total of 44-46 syllables. Each line contains a pause near the middle, similar to a caesura, though the break need not be metrical. The first half of the line contains six to nine syllables; the second half should contain no fewer than five. Originally intended as songs, sijo can treat romantic, metaphysical, or spiritual themes. Whatever the subject, the first line introduces an idea or story, the second supplies a “turn,” and the third provides closure. Modern sijo are sometimes printed in six lines.

Let’s write poetry together!

Would you like to create poetry with me and have a completed poem of yours featured here at the Skeptic’s Kaddish? I am very excited to have launched the ‘Poetry Partners’ initiative and am looking forward to meeting and creating with you… Check it out!

#Kaddish #Poetry #Mourning #Grief #Loss #Poem #Writing #Sijo #SelfExpression #W3 #Threshold

#kaddish #poetry #mourning #grief #loss #poem

The Skeptic's Kaddish @[email protected] · 2026-06-28 · 08:53 UTC

Uncurl, or: Unanswered

A Sijo

I plant my unanswered questions 
hoping spring knows what to do; 
yearning tendrils spread outward 
straining to find some purchase; 
crisp, green vowels uncurl softly 
beside bright consonant foliage

W3 poetry prompt

For Sally’s W3 prompt last week, she invites us to explore what lies beneath the surface—whether in gardens, nature, or ourselves—through the images of soil, roots, weeds, and hidden growth.

My above sijo was inspired by this limerick I wrote for a d’Verse community prompt back in 2021:

Crisp, or: Fresh

I sow d'Verse prompts in my garden
But I feel that I must beg your pardon.
For my rows are of keys
That yield green abc's
Though my gardenin's really quite ardent.

Sijo?

A Korean verse form related to haiku and tanka and comprised of three lines of 14-16 syllables each, for a total of 44-46 syllables. Each line contains a pause near the middle, similar to a caesura, though the break need not be metrical. The first half of the line contains six to nine syllables; the second half should contain no fewer than five. Originally intended as songs, sijo can treat romantic, metaphysical, or spiritual themes. Whatever the subject, the first line introduces an idea or story, the second supplies a “turn,” and the third provides closure. Modern sijo are sometimes printed in six lines.

Let’s write poetry together!

Would you like to create poetry with me and have a completed poem of yours featured here at the Skeptic’s Kaddish? I am very excited to have launched the ‘Poetry Partners’ initiative and am looking forward to meeting and creating with you… Check it out!

#Conceit #Garden #Gardening #Hope #Metaphor #Plants #Poem #Poetry #Questions #Sijo #W3

#conceit #garden #gardening #hope #metaphor #plants

The Skeptic's Kaddish @[email protected] · 2026-06-28 · 08:53 UTC

Uncurl, or: Unanswered

A Sijo

I plant my unanswered questions 
hoping spring knows what to do; 
yearning tendrils spread outward 
straining to find some purchase; 
crisp, green vowels uncurl softly 
beside bright consonant foliage

W3 poetry prompt

For Sally’s W3 prompt last week, she invites us to explore what lies beneath the surface—whether in gardens, nature, or ourselves—through the images of soil, roots, weeds, and hidden growth.

My above sijo was inspired by this limerick I wrote for a d’Verse community prompt back in 2021:

Crisp, or: Fresh

I sow d'Verse prompts in my garden
But I feel that I must beg your pardon.
For my rows are of keys
That yield green abc's
Though my gardenin's really quite ardent.

Sijo?

A Korean verse form related to haiku and tanka and comprised of three lines of 14-16 syllables each, for a total of 44-46 syllables. Each line contains a pause near the middle, similar to a caesura, though the break need not be metrical. The first half of the line contains six to nine syllables; the second half should contain no fewer than five. Originally intended as songs, sijo can treat romantic, metaphysical, or spiritual themes. Whatever the subject, the first line introduces an idea or story, the second supplies a “turn,” and the third provides closure. Modern sijo are sometimes printed in six lines.

Let’s write poetry together!

Would you like to create poetry with me and have a completed poem of yours featured here at the Skeptic’s Kaddish? I am very excited to have launched the ‘Poetry Partners’ initiative and am looking forward to meeting and creating with you… Check it out!

#Conceit #Garden #Gardening #Hope #Metaphor #Plants #Poem #Poetry #Questions #Sijo #W3

#conceit #garden #gardening #hope #metaphor #plants

The Skeptic's Kaddish @[email protected] · 2026-06-28 · 08:53 UTC

Uncurl, or: Unanswered

A Sijo

I plant my unanswered questions 
hoping spring knows what to do; 
yearning tendrils spread outward 
straining to find some purchase; 
crisp, green vowels uncurl softly 
beside bright consonant foliage

W3 poetry prompt

For Sally’s W3 prompt last week, she invites us to explore what lies beneath the surface—whether in gardens, nature, or ourselves—through the images of soil, roots, weeds, and hidden growth.

My above sijo was inspired by this limerick I wrote for a d’Verse community prompt back in 2021:

Crisp, or: Fresh

I sow d'Verse prompts in my garden
But I feel that I must beg your pardon.
For my rows are of keys
That yield green abc's
Though my gardenin's really quite ardent.

Sijo?

A Korean verse form related to haiku and tanka and comprised of three lines of 14-16 syllables each, for a total of 44-46 syllables. Each line contains a pause near the middle, similar to a caesura, though the break need not be metrical. The first half of the line contains six to nine syllables; the second half should contain no fewer than five. Originally intended as songs, sijo can treat romantic, metaphysical, or spiritual themes. Whatever the subject, the first line introduces an idea or story, the second supplies a “turn,” and the third provides closure. Modern sijo are sometimes printed in six lines.

Let’s write poetry together!

Would you like to create poetry with me and have a completed poem of yours featured here at the Skeptic’s Kaddish? I am very excited to have launched the ‘Poetry Partners’ initiative and am looking forward to meeting and creating with you… Check it out!

#Conceit #Garden #Gardening #Hope #Metaphor #Plants #Poem #Poetry #Questions #Sijo #W3

#w3 #sijo #questions #poetry #poem #plants

The Skeptic's Kaddish @[email protected] · 2026-06-28 · 08:53 UTC

Uncurl, or: Unanswered

A Sijo

I plant my unanswered questions 
hoping spring knows what to do; 
yearning tendrils spread outward 
straining to find some purchase; 
crisp, green vowels uncurl softly 
beside bright consonant foliage

W3 poetry prompt

For Sally’s W3 prompt last week, she invites us to explore what lies beneath the surface—whether in gardens, nature, or ourselves—through the images of soil, roots, weeds, and hidden growth.

My above sijo was inspired by this limerick I wrote for a d’Verse community prompt back in 2021:

Crisp, or: Fresh

I sow d'Verse prompts in my garden
But I feel that I must beg your pardon.
For my rows are of keys
That yield green abc's
Though my gardenin's really quite ardent.

Sijo?

A Korean verse form related to haiku and tanka and comprised of three lines of 14-16 syllables each, for a total of 44-46 syllables. Each line contains a pause near the middle, similar to a caesura, though the break need not be metrical. The first half of the line contains six to nine syllables; the second half should contain no fewer than five. Originally intended as songs, sijo can treat romantic, metaphysical, or spiritual themes. Whatever the subject, the first line introduces an idea or story, the second supplies a “turn,” and the third provides closure. Modern sijo are sometimes printed in six lines.

Let’s write poetry together!

Would you like to create poetry with me and have a completed poem of yours featured here at the Skeptic’s Kaddish? I am very excited to have launched the ‘Poetry Partners’ initiative and am looking forward to meeting and creating with you… Check it out!

#Conceit #Garden #Gardening #Hope #Metaphor #Plants #Poem #Poetry #Questions #Sijo #W3

#conceit #garden #gardening #hope #metaphor #plants

The Skeptic's Kaddish @[email protected] · 2026-06-21 · 17:42 UTC

Proud father, or: Foolish, foolish man

For her eleventh birthday, I
Bought Harry Potter, seven high.
A gift, I thought, she might enjoy;
As have so many girls and boys.

She read the volumes with such speed;
A newfound fandom soon took seed.
I'd thought my scheming rather grand;
But things soon got quite out of hand.

She reads alone and reads with me;
Records for friends quite faithfully.
Three Potter storylines now run;
She wasn't satisfied with one.

Each day I wake to Hogwarts news;
Fresh theories, facts, and wizard views.
Before my first sip of coffee,
She shares the latest news with me.

I'd only wished to spark her mind; 
But, honestly? I'm now resigned. 
My inner voice groans, "Foolish man! 
You've unleashed a new superfan!"

W3 poetry prompt

For last week’s W3, Nancy invites us to write a poem in one or more four-line stanzas, with each line containing exactly eight syllables and a maximum length of twenty lines. She encourages us to focus on a memorable success, failure, or combination of both, using humor, reflection, triumph, embarrassment, or self-deprecation to tell the story.

Let’s write poetry together!

Would you like to create poetry with me and have a completed poem of yours featured here at the Skeptic’s Kaddish? I am very excited to have launched the ‘Poetry Partners’ initiative and am looking forward to meeting and creating with you… Check it out!

#Books #Childhood #Fandom #Frustration #HarryPotter #Humor #Obsession #Parenthood #Poem #Poetry #W3

#books #childhood #fandom #frustration #harrypotter #humor

The Skeptic's Kaddish @[email protected] · 2026-06-21 · 17:42 UTC

Proud father, or: Foolish, foolish man

For her eleventh birthday, I
Bought Harry Potter, seven high.
A gift, I thought, she might enjoy;
As have so many girls and boys.

She read the volumes with such speed;
A newfound fandom soon took seed.
I'd thought my scheming rather grand;
But things soon got quite out of hand.

She reads alone and reads with me;
Records for friends quite faithfully.
Three Potter storylines now run;
She wasn't satisfied with one.

Each day I wake to Hogwarts news;
Fresh theories, facts, and wizard views.
Before my first sip of coffee,
She shares the latest news with me.

I'd only wished to spark her mind; 
But, honestly? I'm now resigned. 
My inner voice groans, "Foolish man! 
You've unleashed a new superfan!"

W3 poetry prompt

For last week’s W3, Nancy invites us to write a poem in one or more four-line stanzas, with each line containing exactly eight syllables and a maximum length of twenty lines. She encourages us to focus on a memorable success, failure, or combination of both, using humor, reflection, triumph, embarrassment, or self-deprecation to tell the story.

Let’s write poetry together!

Would you like to create poetry with me and have a completed poem of yours featured here at the Skeptic’s Kaddish? I am very excited to have launched the ‘Poetry Partners’ initiative and am looking forward to meeting and creating with you… Check it out!

#Books #Childhood #Fandom #Frustration #HarryPotter #Humor #Obsession #Parenthood #Poem #Poetry #W3

#books #childhood #fandom #frustration #harrypotter #humor

The Skeptic's Kaddish @[email protected] · 2026-06-21 · 17:42 UTC

Proud father, or: Foolish, foolish man

For her eleventh birthday, I
Bought Harry Potter, seven high.
A gift, I thought, she might enjoy;
As have so many girls and boys.

She read the volumes with such speed;
A newfound fandom soon took seed.
I'd thought my scheming rather grand;
But things soon got quite out of hand.

She reads alone and reads with me;
Records for friends quite faithfully.
Three Potter storylines now run;
She wasn't satisfied with one.

Each day I wake to Hogwarts news;
Fresh theories, facts, and wizard views.
Before my first sip of coffee,
She shares the latest news with me.

I'd only wished to spark her mind; 
But, honestly? I'm now resigned. 
My inner voice groans, "Foolish man! 
You've unleashed a new superfan!"

W3 poetry prompt

For last week’s W3, Nancy invites us to write a poem in one or more four-line stanzas, with each line containing exactly eight syllables and a maximum length of twenty lines. She encourages us to focus on a memorable success, failure, or combination of both, using humor, reflection, triumph, embarrassment, or self-deprecation to tell the story.

Let’s write poetry together!

Would you like to create poetry with me and have a completed poem of yours featured here at the Skeptic’s Kaddish? I am very excited to have launched the ‘Poetry Partners’ initiative and am looking forward to meeting and creating with you… Check it out!

#Books #Childhood #Fandom #Frustration #HarryPotter #Humor #Obsession #Parenthood #Poem #Poetry #W3

#books #childhood #fandom #frustration #harrypotter #humor

The Skeptic's Kaddish @[email protected] · 2026-06-21 · 17:42 UTC

Proud father, or: Foolish, foolish man

For her eleventh birthday, I
Bought Harry Potter, seven high.
A gift, I thought, she might enjoy;
As have so many girls and boys.

She read the volumes with such speed;
A newfound fandom soon took seed.
I'd thought my scheming rather grand;
But things soon got quite out of hand.

She reads alone and reads with me;
Records for friends quite faithfully.
Three Potter storylines now run;
She wasn't satisfied with one.

Each day I wake to Hogwarts news;
Fresh theories, facts, and wizard views.
Before my first sip of coffee,
She shares the latest news with me.

I'd only wished to spark her mind; 
But, honestly? I'm now resigned. 
My inner voice groans, "Foolish man! 
You've unleashed a new superfan!"

W3 poetry prompt

For last week’s W3, Nancy invites us to write a poem in one or more four-line stanzas, with each line containing exactly eight syllables and a maximum length of twenty lines. She encourages us to focus on a memorable success, failure, or combination of both, using humor, reflection, triumph, embarrassment, or self-deprecation to tell the story.

Let’s write poetry together!

Would you like to create poetry with me and have a completed poem of yours featured here at the Skeptic’s Kaddish? I am very excited to have launched the ‘Poetry Partners’ initiative and am looking forward to meeting and creating with you… Check it out!

#Books #Childhood #Fandom #Frustration #HarryPotter #Humor #Obsession #Parenthood #Poem #Poetry #W3

#w3 #poetry #poem #parenthood #obsession #humor

The Skeptic's Kaddish @[email protected] · 2026-06-21 · 17:42 UTC

Proud father, or: Foolish, foolish man

For her eleventh birthday, I
Bought Harry Potter, seven high.
A gift, I thought, she might enjoy;
As have so many girls and boys.

She read the volumes with such speed;
A newfound fandom soon took seed.
I'd thought my scheming rather grand;
But things soon got quite out of hand.

She reads alone and reads with me;
Records for friends quite faithfully.
Three Potter storylines now run;
She wasn't satisfied with one.

Each day I wake to Hogwarts news;
Fresh theories, facts, and wizard views.
Before my first sip of coffee,
She shares the latest news with me.

I'd only wished to spark her mind; 
But, honestly? I'm now resigned. 
My inner voice groans, "Foolish man! 
You've unleashed a new superfan!"

W3 poetry prompt

For last week’s W3, Nancy invites us to write a poem in one or more four-line stanzas, with each line containing exactly eight syllables and a maximum length of twenty lines. She encourages us to focus on a memorable success, failure, or combination of both, using humor, reflection, triumph, embarrassment, or self-deprecation to tell the story.

Let’s write poetry together!

Would you like to create poetry with me and have a completed poem of yours featured here at the Skeptic’s Kaddish? I am very excited to have launched the ‘Poetry Partners’ initiative and am looking forward to meeting and creating with you… Check it out!

#Books #Childhood #Fandom #Frustration #HarryPotter #Humor #Obsession #Parenthood #Poem #Poetry #W3

#books #childhood #fandom #frustration #harrypotter #humor

The Skeptic's Kaddish @[email protected] · 2026-06-14 · 10:12 UTC

Seasons of my home, or: Sunlit

A Sijo

newly back in Jerusalem
autumn gathered over stone;
sunlit droplets veiled the city
my delicious walk in the rain;
at last, my Jewish liturgy
fit the seasons of my home

W3 poetry prompt

For this week’s W3, Artie encourages us to let ourselves drift from Mary Oliver’s poem Drifting. We may use either of the prompt lines, “my delicious walk in the rain” or “what it is that music is trying to say”, directly or indirectly as inspiration.

The goal is not to imitate Oliver’s poem but to follow our own memory, wonder, weather, music, or other experience wherever it leads, especially when it seems to communicate something beyond ordinary language.

Sijo?

A Korean verse form related to haiku and tanka and comprised of three lines of 14-16 syllables each, for a total of 44-46 syllables. Each line contains a pause near the middle, similar to a caesura, though the break need not be metrical. The first half of the line contains six to nine syllables; the second half should contain no fewer than five. Originally intended as songs, sijo can treat romantic, metaphysical, or spiritual themes. Whatever the subject, the first line introduces an idea or story, the second supplies a “turn,” and the third provides closure. Modern sijo are sometimes printed in six lines.

Let’s write poetry together!

Would you like to create poetry with me and have a completed poem of yours featured here at the Skeptic’s Kaddish? I am very excited to have launched the ‘Poetry Partners’ initiative and am looking forward to meeting and creating with you… Check it out!

#Israel #Judaism #Poem #Poetry #Prayer #Rain #Roots #Seasons #Sijo #W3 #Weather

#israel #judaism #poem #poetry #prayer #rain

The Skeptic's Kaddish @[email protected] · 2026-06-14 · 10:12 UTC

Seasons of my home, or: Sunlit

A Sijo

newly back in Jerusalem
autumn gathered over stone;
sunlit droplets veiled the city
my delicious walk in the rain;
at last, my Jewish liturgy
fit the seasons of my home

W3 poetry prompt

For this week’s W3, Artie encourages us to let ourselves drift from Mary Oliver’s poem Drifting. We may use either of the prompt lines, “my delicious walk in the rain” or “what it is that music is trying to say”, directly or indirectly as inspiration.

The goal is not to imitate Oliver’s poem but to follow our own memory, wonder, weather, music, or other experience wherever it leads, especially when it seems to communicate something beyond ordinary language.

Sijo?

A Korean verse form related to haiku and tanka and comprised of three lines of 14-16 syllables each, for a total of 44-46 syllables. Each line contains a pause near the middle, similar to a caesura, though the break need not be metrical. The first half of the line contains six to nine syllables; the second half should contain no fewer than five. Originally intended as songs, sijo can treat romantic, metaphysical, or spiritual themes. Whatever the subject, the first line introduces an idea or story, the second supplies a “turn,” and the third provides closure. Modern sijo are sometimes printed in six lines.

Let’s write poetry together!

Would you like to create poetry with me and have a completed poem of yours featured here at the Skeptic’s Kaddish? I am very excited to have launched the ‘Poetry Partners’ initiative and am looking forward to meeting and creating with you… Check it out!

#Israel #Judaism #Poem #Poetry #Prayer #Rain #Roots #Seasons #Sijo #W3 #Weather

#israel #judaism #poem #poetry #prayer #rain

The Skeptic's Kaddish @[email protected] · 2026-06-14 · 10:12 UTC

Seasons of my home, or: Sunlit

A Sijo

newly back in Jerusalem
autumn gathered over stone;
sunlit droplets veiled the city
my delicious walk in the rain;
at last, my Jewish liturgy
fit the seasons of my home

W3 poetry prompt

For this week’s W3, Artie encourages us to let ourselves drift from Mary Oliver’s poem Drifting. We may use either of the prompt lines, “my delicious walk in the rain” or “what it is that music is trying to say”, directly or indirectly as inspiration.

The goal is not to imitate Oliver’s poem but to follow our own memory, wonder, weather, music, or other experience wherever it leads, especially when it seems to communicate something beyond ordinary language.

Sijo?

A Korean verse form related to haiku and tanka and comprised of three lines of 14-16 syllables each, for a total of 44-46 syllables. Each line contains a pause near the middle, similar to a caesura, though the break need not be metrical. The first half of the line contains six to nine syllables; the second half should contain no fewer than five. Originally intended as songs, sijo can treat romantic, metaphysical, or spiritual themes. Whatever the subject, the first line introduces an idea or story, the second supplies a “turn,” and the third provides closure. Modern sijo are sometimes printed in six lines.

Let’s write poetry together!

Would you like to create poetry with me and have a completed poem of yours featured here at the Skeptic’s Kaddish? I am very excited to have launched the ‘Poetry Partners’ initiative and am looking forward to meeting and creating with you… Check it out!

#Israel #Judaism #Poem #Poetry #Prayer #Rain #Roots #Seasons #Sijo #W3 #Weather

#weather #w3 #sijo #seasons #roots #rain

The Skeptic's Kaddish @[email protected] · 2026-06-14 · 10:12 UTC

Seasons of my home, or: Sunlit

A Sijo

newly back in Jerusalem
autumn gathered over stone;
sunlit droplets veiled the city
my delicious walk in the rain;
at last, my Jewish liturgy
fit the seasons of my home

W3 poetry prompt

For this week’s W3, Artie encourages us to let ourselves drift from Mary Oliver’s poem Drifting. We may use either of the prompt lines, “my delicious walk in the rain” or “what it is that music is trying to say”, directly or indirectly as inspiration.

The goal is not to imitate Oliver’s poem but to follow our own memory, wonder, weather, music, or other experience wherever it leads, especially when it seems to communicate something beyond ordinary language.

Sijo?

A Korean verse form related to haiku and tanka and comprised of three lines of 14-16 syllables each, for a total of 44-46 syllables. Each line contains a pause near the middle, similar to a caesura, though the break need not be metrical. The first half of the line contains six to nine syllables; the second half should contain no fewer than five. Originally intended as songs, sijo can treat romantic, metaphysical, or spiritual themes. Whatever the subject, the first line introduces an idea or story, the second supplies a “turn,” and the third provides closure. Modern sijo are sometimes printed in six lines.

Let’s write poetry together!

Would you like to create poetry with me and have a completed poem of yours featured here at the Skeptic’s Kaddish? I am very excited to have launched the ‘Poetry Partners’ initiative and am looking forward to meeting and creating with you… Check it out!

#Judaism #Prayer #Poetry #Israel #Weather #Poem #Seasons #Sijo #Rain #Roots #W3

#judaism #prayer #poetry #israel #weather #poem

W3R @[email protected] · 2026-06-08 · 13:44 UTC

W3Rooster reconstructs transaction paths during fork-based swaps to ensure no hidden internal call alters the effective output during a buy.
#W3 #W3Rooster

#w3 #w3rooster

W3R @[email protected] · 2026-06-07 · 13:39 UTC

Liquidity events often fail because of mismatched decimals or misconfigured router versions. W3Rooster checks both the router ABI and the pair initialization sequence to prevent unexpected reverts.
#W3 #W3Rooster #Web3 #crypto #blockchain

#w3 #w3rooster #web3 #crypto #blockchain

W3R @[email protected] · 2026-06-04 · 15:34 UTC

W3Rooster assesses how tax logic affects swap outputs during extreme volatility to confirm no internal rounding error accumulates into long-term imbalance.
#W3 #W3Rooster

#w3 #w3rooster

W3R @[email protected] · 2026-06-01 · 14:08 UTC

When forking mainnet for testing, W3Rooster pins a single block to remove randomness.
Pay attention this produces deterministic, reproducible results—no changing state, no hidden variables.
#W3 #W3Rooster #Web3 #crypto #blockchain

#w3 #w3rooster #web3 #crypto #blockchain

W3R @[email protected] · 2026-05-28 · 11:01 UTC

Never trust simulations alone.

#W3 #W3Rooster

#w3 #w3rooster

The Skeptic's Kaddish @[email protected] · 2026-05-19 · 23:00 UTC

W3 Prompt #212: Wea’ve Written Weekly

Intro

Dear friends,

Welcome to our W3 Poetry Prompt, which goes live on Wednesdays at The Skeptic’s Kaddish.

You may click here for a fuller explanation of W3; but here’s the ‘tldr’ version:

Part I

The main ingredient of W3 is a weekly poem written by a Poet of the Week (PoW), which participants read before participating in the prompt.

Part II

The second ingredient is a writing guideline (or two) provided by the PoW. Guidelines may include, but are not limited to: word counts, poetic forms, inclusion of specific words, and use of particular poetic devices.

Part III

After five days, when the prompt closes, the PoW shall select one participant’s poem as the W3 prompt for the following week, and its author becomes the next PoW.

Simple enough, right?

Kindly note: All entries for the W3 poetry prompt must be the original work of the submitting author. AI-generated poetry is not permitted.

Okie dokie ~ Let’s do this thing!

I. The prompt poem:

‘brick-breath’ by AJ Wilson

raised from clay and sweat
i lean beneath green tangled vines
my mouth -
shaped almost like a question
keeps darkness folded carefully inside

once
barefoot children tumbled through me
laughing mud and apple-juice
their shadows jingled brighter than rain
lovers pressed initials
into my ribs of fired earth
while birds stitched afternoon above me

now
silence roots itself at my feet
seasons drop feathers and brittle leaves
while i
watch sunlight fracture
through wild branches

still
i stand - openly closed
foxes sleeping within my shadow
each dusk
sunlight breaks in thin pieces
and silence enters wearing the smell
of vanished gardens

II. Ange’s prompt: One-syllable challenge

For this week’s W3 challenge, writers are invited to capture a dramatic moment in just a handful of lines — a storm breaking, a glass shattering, a door slamming, a sudden realization, or any instant where something changes sharply or unexpectedly.

You may write in any poetic form, with the following restrictions:

Your poem must be between 5 and 8 lines long.
Every single word in the poem must be one syllable long.
You are allowed one multi-syllable word — but it must appear as the very last word of the poem.

Have fun with the tension this creates. Sometimes the smallest words carry the greatest force.

III. Submit: Click on ‘Mister Linky’ below

In order to participate and share a poem, open up this blog post, outside of the WordPress reader. At the bottom, just below these words, you will see a small rectangular graphic with the words ‘Mr Linky’. Click on that to submit.

Submissions are open for 5 days, until Monday, May 25, 10:00 AM (GMT+2)

Last week’s W3 poem

This week’s W3 prompt poem (above), composed by Ange, was written in response to last week’s W3 prompt poem, which Hope wrote:

‘Flood Tide’ by Srijita (Hope)

Ma,
your love
rages loud
through all your loss.
It does not whimper.
It does not hesitate.
How does your heart carry on
knowing the softness it will miss?
Your strength swells, a river in flood tide.
Ma, your love rages loud through all your loss.

#Community #CreativeWriting #Drama #Moments #Poem #Poetry #Prompt #Restrictions #Syllables #W3

#w3 #syllables #restrictions #prompt #poetry #poem

The Skeptic's Kaddish @[email protected] · 2026-05-08 · 13:14 UTC

Mother’s Day, or: Jerusalem for generations

A ‘Dectina Refrain’

home
once more
with loved ones
this Mother’s Day
Baka night jasmine
the shuk loud and busy
old stones absorbing the sun
windmill turning through the twilight
Jerusalem for generations
home once more with loved ones this Mother’s Day

Dectina Refrain

Syllabic: Ten lines – 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10 syllables;
Refrain: The 10th line is comprised of the first four lines all together as one stand alone line in quotation marks.

W3 poetry prompt

For this week’s W3, Dawn encourages us to compose mother-themed dectina refrains.

Let’s write poetry together!

Would you like to create poetry with me and have a completed poem of yours featured here at the Skeptic’s Kaddish? I am very excited to have launched the ‘Poetry Partners’ initiative and am looking forward to meeting and creating with you… Check it out!

#DectinaRefrain #Family #Israel #Jerusalem #Love #Mother #MotherSDay #Poem #Poetry #Visit #W3

#w3 #visit #poetry #poem #mothersday #mother

The Skeptic's Kaddish @[email protected] · 2026-05-03 · 17:03 UTC

Bread, or: A breadth of taste

A Sijo

at the long table, hands
place bowls, wind threads, and pluck the strings;
a child tries a new word for bread
steadies the bowl as someone pours;
he asks which ones are theirs—
he tastes from each one in its turn

W3 poetry prompt

For this week’s W3, Yvette encourages us to step away from reality and imagine something entirely new. We are to compose poems that explore a fictional world—utopian or dystopian, our choice.

Sijo?

A Korean verse form related to haiku and tanka and comprised of three lines of 14-16 syllables each, for a total of 44-46 syllables. Each line contains a pause near the middle, similar to a caesura, though the break need not be metrical. The first half of the line contains six to nine syllables; the second half should contain no fewer than five. Originally intended as songs, sijo can treat romantic, metaphysical, or spiritual themes. Whatever the subject, the first line introduces an idea or story, the second supplies a “turn,” and the third provides closure. Modern sijo are sometimes printed in six lines.

Let’s write poetry together!

Would you like to create poetry with me and have a completed poem of yours featured here at the Skeptic’s Kaddish? I am very excited to have launched the ‘Poetry Partners’ initiative and am looking forward to meeting and creating with you… Check it out!

#Culture #Curiosity #Difference #Exploration #Learning #Poem #Poetry #Sharing #Sijo #Utopia #W3

#w3 #utopia #sijo #sharing #poetry #poem

RedPacket Security @[email protected] · 2026-04-02 · 09:56 UTC

CVE Alert: CVE-2026-5032 - boldgrid - W3 Total Cache - https://www.redpacketsecurity.com/cve-alert-cve-2026-5032-boldgrid-w3-total-cache/

#OSINT #ThreatIntel #CyberSecurity #cve-2026-5032 #boldgrid #w3-total-cache

#osint #threatintel #cybersecurity #cve #boldgrid #w3

RedPacket Security @[email protected] · 2026-04-02 · 09:56 UTC

CVE Alert: CVE-2026-5032 - boldgrid - W3 Total Cache - https://www.redpacketsecurity.com/cve-alert-cve-2026-5032-boldgrid-w3-total-cache/

#OSINT #ThreatIntel #CyberSecurity #cve-2026-5032 #boldgrid #w3-total-cache

#osint #threatintel #cybersecurity #cve #boldgrid #w3

RedPacket Security @[email protected] · 2026-04-02 · 09:56 UTC

CVE Alert: CVE-2026-5032 - boldgrid - W3 Total Cache - https://www.redpacketsecurity.com/cve-alert-cve-2026-5032-boldgrid-w3-total-cache/

#OSINT #ThreatIntel #CyberSecurity #cve-2026-5032 #boldgrid #w3-total-cache

#osint #threatintel #cybersecurity #cve #boldgrid #w3

RedPacket Security @[email protected] · 2026-04-02 · 09:56 UTC

CVE Alert: CVE-2026-5032 - boldgrid - W3 Total Cache - https://www.redpacketsecurity.com/cve-alert-cve-2026-5032-boldgrid-w3-total-cache/

#OSINT #ThreatIntel #CyberSecurity #cve-2026-5032 #boldgrid #w3-total-cache

#w3 #boldgrid #cve #cybersecurity #threatintel #osint

RedPacket Security @[email protected] · 2026-04-02 · 09:56 UTC

CVE Alert: CVE-2026-5032 - boldgrid - W3 Total Cache - https://www.redpacketsecurity.com/cve-alert-cve-2026-5032-boldgrid-w3-total-cache/

#OSINT #ThreatIntel #CyberSecurity #cve-2026-5032 #boldgrid #w3-total-cache

#osint #threatintel #cybersecurity #cve #boldgrid #w3

The Skeptic's Kaddish @[email protected] · 2026-03-26 · 13:33 UTC

Incoming, or: Push notification

A ‘Cameo’ poem

phone screens 
flare up, an alert 
ringing across Jerusalem 
Zoom meeting 
participants brace, alert for 
sirens—ready to shelter— 
mobile

W3 poetry prompt

For our W3 prompt this week, Lesley encourages us to compose poems in the cameo form:

Form: Cameo;
- Heptastich (a poem in 7 lines);
- Syllabic: 2-5-8-3-8-7-2 syllables per line;
- Unrhymed, but end words should be strong.

Let’s write poetry together!

Would you like to create poetry with me and have a completed poem of yours featured here at the Skeptic’s Kaddish? I am very excited to have launched the ‘Poetry Partners’ initiative and am looking forward to meeting and creating with you… Check it out!

#Cameo #Danger #Iran #Israel #Jerusalem #Poem #Poetry #Sirens #Terrorism #W3 #War

#cameo #danger #iran #israel #jerusalem #poem

The Skeptic's Kaddish @[email protected] · 2026-03-26 · 13:33 UTC

Incoming, or: Push notification

A ‘Cameo’ poem

phone screens 
flare up, an alert 
ringing across Jerusalem 
Zoom meeting 
participants brace, alert for 
sirens—ready to shelter— 
mobile

W3 poetry prompt

For our W3 prompt this week, Lesley encourages us to compose poems in the cameo form:

Form: Cameo;
- Heptastich (a poem in 7 lines);
- Syllabic: 2-5-8-3-8-7-2 syllables per line;
- Unrhymed, but end words should be strong.

Let’s write poetry together!

Would you like to create poetry with me and have a completed poem of yours featured here at the Skeptic’s Kaddish? I am very excited to have launched the ‘Poetry Partners’ initiative and am looking forward to meeting and creating with you… Check it out!