Aleesha and Parz shared art time

 We started with the same picture prompt:

Aleesha drew this:

And Parz wrote this:

eager beaver fish

ready to take on the day

right after coffee

so adorable 

his eyes are dreamy and

fish lips are a thing

all his enemies

kept at bay in the bay by

the anemone

does a clown fish dream

of one day becoming a

mother to babies

babies swimming

or adults served with lemon

fry

finding Nemo

a rare success story

most are never found

I see you

camouflage isn’t your forte

or is that the point

how does a clown fish

keep their whites so bright?

reef-safe bleach

group indecision

fins can be a challenge for

rock paper scissors 

*****

“This is our little Morris. He was last seen in the vicinity of a friend’s house just a short swim from our anemone. If you have any information leading to the safe return of our precious child, please call your local authorities. You’ll have our undying gratitude.”

This plea from Morris’ parents echo that of so many fish who are bereft of family members. It’s heart-breaking to those affected by the recurring tragedy that so few take an interest in finding the missing fish. 

The casually callous reaction of “If they can’t be bothered to care then why should I?” upon hearing that pictures of the missing aren’t published on the sides of milk cartons ignores the fact that watery environments aren’t conducive to advances in printing technology. But it’s the deliberately mean-spirited placement of those same pictures on packages of frozen fish sticks that really twist my gills the wrong way.

Let’s all work together to defeat this scandalous treatment of all fish. And to overcome the enormous coverup of this situation by the fishing industry. 

Aleesha's Favourite Art from 2024

 Aleesha put together a 9-box compilation of her favourite art from 2024. I hope you enjoy looking at it as much as she enjoyed making it!

Tea set inspired art and writing

 Aleesha and I started with this photo prompt:

Aleesha drew this:

I wrote the following haikus:

mat unrolled

well-patinated tea set

ritual ready

East meets West

tea ceremony and

duck duck goose

attendees wait

for the tea to steep

no steam - cold brew

twisted stick

decorative?

or fuel for a fire

tea and hot water

and the deeper taste of

yummy patina

twenty cups made

before pets and children

only two survived

poor sprig

out of focus flowers

clearly seen stem

barbie and ken

items sold separately 

Japanese tea house

this presentation

when I asked for a cuppa

is unexpected 

ancient feeling

timer on my smartphone 

offscreen binging

savour the tea

time should pass unnoticed

the world falls away

savour the tea

time should pass unnoticed

gulping is gauche

nature’s artistry

biological sculptures

and patina paints

and then wrote this - perhaps a prose poem?:

Tea may be the focus but without wood the peaceful setting isn’t possible. The branch knows; it sits, crooked, with fire-hardened ceramics and cast pot nestled in. Lumber fashioned into the supporting table, twigs woven into an underlying mat, stick carved into a scoop, and makes ready the hot water. Savour one but appreciate both.