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  • Pic and a Word ChallengeThe Pic and a Word Challenge comes from Patrick Jennings’ site www.pixtowords.com Each week he provides a photograph of his along with a single word. The challenge? Use the pic and/or word as points of inspiration to create something — a photograph, a painting, prose, poetry, fiction, non-fiction, longread or just a few words. We are welcome to use these two elements (photograph and word) literally, thematically or metaphorically. If we create both images and words, all the better.
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  • Fight, Flight, or… – Velvet Rage Skill #3

    The presence of intense emotions will increase the likelihood of seeing ONLY this or ONLY that as possible reactions.

    May 6, 2021

    Ben Kohns

    Faith, Freedom, Life, Love, Mental Illness, Purpose, TVR – Life Skills, Uncategorized
    action, cerebral, emotion, fight or flight, limbic, reaction, response
    Fight, Flight, or… – Velvet Rage Skill #3
  • Sonnet XXIII – The Map a River Makes

    And now, behold, the deluge comes anon; containers burst and none can stand the wash.

    May 5, 2021

    Ben Kohns

    Freedom, Justice, Life, Mental Illness, Poetry, Purpose, Sonnets, Uncategorized
    dam, Edenville, flood, futility, Midland, regulation, spillway
    Sonnet XXIII – The Map a River Makes
  • Serenity Now! – Velvet Rage Skill #2

    Yes, it turns out when Jesus tells us to “love your neighbor as yourself”, it only really works right IF YOU LOVE YOURSELF.

    May 5, 2021

    Ben Kohns

    Blessings, Coming Out – The Journey, Freedom, Homosexuality, Jesus, Kindness, Life, Love, Mental Illness, Purpose, Suicide, TVR – Life Skills, Uncategorized
    Alan Downs, Inner Peace, self-care, selfishness, Skills for Leading an Authentic Life, The Velvet Rage
    Serenity Now! – Velvet Rage Skill #2
  • WWRBD? – Velvet Rage Skill #1

    Our hearts tell the truth, even when what it has to say scares the shit out of us.

    May 4, 2021

    Ben Kohns

    Blog Entries, Coming Out – The Journey, Freedom, Homosexuality, Life, Love, Mental Illness, Purpose, TVR – Life Skills, Uncategorized
    Alan Downs, authenticity, CBT, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Skills for Leading an Authentic Life, The Velvet Rage, WWJD
    WWRBD? – Velvet Rage Skill #1
  • The Velvet Rage – Pre-Pride Ponderings

    “Straight people don’t get a Pride Month!” Exactly.

    May 3, 2021

    Ben Kohns

    Blessings, Blog Entries, Coming Out – The Journey, Freedom, Homosexuality, Kindness, Life, Love, Mental Illness, Purpose, Suicide, TVR – Life Skills, Uncategorized
    Alan Downs, authenticity, Pride, pride month, shame, Skills for Leading an Authentic Life, The Velvet Rage
    The Velvet Rage – Pre-Pride Ponderings
  • Sincerely, Me.

    Yeah, nailed it. Again.

    May 2, 2021

    Ben Kohns

    Blessings, Coming Out – The Journey, Freedom, Justice, Kindness, Life, Love, Mental Illness, Purpose, Uncategorized
    Enneagram, illusion, Meyers-Briggs, perfection, Personality
    Sincerely, Me.
  • MAYbe Day 2021 – #SoCS

    “Good luck with your self-discovery, Ben!”

    May 1, 2021

    Ben Kohns

    Blessings, Blog Entries, Coming Out – The Journey, Freedom, Life, Love, Mental Illness, Purpose, SoCS, Uncategorized
    pendulum, swing, weights
    MAYbe Day 2021 – #SoCS
  • misdirection

    I’m somewhere north of Nashville; that’s all you get for now.

    April 30, 2021

    Ben Kohns

    Coming Out – The Journey, Freedom, Life, Mental Illness, NaPoWriMo 2021, Poetry
    connection, fear, hiding, insecurity, paradox
    misdirection
  • Shattered Pains

    If there is glass between me and another world, something needs to change…

    April 29, 2021

    Ben Kohns

    Coming Out – The Journey, Freedom, Kindness, Life, Love, Mental Illness, NaPoWriMo 2021, Poetry, Purpose, Uncategorized
    Dear Evan Hansen, division
    Shattered Pains
  • sorry, mom?

    is swearing permitted? here?

    April 28, 2021

    Ben Kohns

    Freedom, Life, NaPoWriMo 2021, Poetry, Uncategorized
    fear, mutually assured destruction, power, profanity
    sorry, mom?
  • exulansis

    beyond the shoal; awash, my soul…

    April 27, 2021

    Ben Kohns

    Coming Out – The Journey, Faith, Freedom, Justice, Kindness, Life, Love, Mental Illness, NaPoWriMo 2021, Poetry, Purpose, Uncategorized
    confusion, miscommunication, uncertainty
    exulansis
  • Innocence Lost

    A deal not meant for me, I bought; Account was mostly overdrawn.

    April 27, 2021

    Ben Kohns

    Coming Out – The Journey, Death, Freedom, Kindness, Life, Love, Mental Illness, Poetry, Purpose
    #triolet, catharsis, letting go, therapy, triolet
    Innocence Lost
  • Voiding in Woods on a Snowy Evening

    The woods are empty, none to show, The ice has made the stream quite slow, And hours again until I go, And hours again until I go.

    April 26, 2021

    Ben Kohns

    Freedom, Life, NaPoWriMo 2021, Poetry, Uncategorized
    #napowrimo2021, Parody, Robert Frost, sacrilege
    Voiding in Woods on a Snowy Evening
  • Occasion

    I’ve kept these words at bay for years; “Occasion” this shall be.

    April 25, 2021

    Ben Kohns

    Blessings, Coming Out – The Journey, Freedom, Homosexuality, Kindness, Life, Love, NaPoWriMo 2021, Poetry
    coming out, gay dads, Pride
    Occasion
  • Nearly Threatened

    Regret is a medium-sized toothed emotion and a uniquely specialized predator…

    April 24, 2021

    Ben Kohns

    Kindness, Life, Love, Mental Illness, NaPoWriMo 2021, Poetry, Uncategorized
    apologize, endngered, regret, regrets
    Nearly Threatened
  • wild and precious

    Tell me, what else should I have done?Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon?Tell me, what is it you plan to dowith your one wild and precious life? Well, Mary… I MUST call you Mary.I hope that won’t pose a problem,Ms Oliver. In our circle, you are just Mary,and we all know it’s you.…

    April 23, 2021

    Ben Kohns

    Blessings, Freedom, Kindness, Life, Love, Mental Illness, NaPoWriMo 2021, Poetry, Purpose, Uncategorized
    Life, mary oliver, The Summer Day
    wild and precious
  • crosscut

    Many hands make light work, even when the saw only has room for four.

    April 22, 2021

    Ben Kohns

    Life, Love, NaPoWriMo 2021, Poetry, Uncategorized
    sharing, teamwork
    crosscut
  • it may cost your soul

    You can, of course, make choices, and…You can, but it may cost your soul.

    April 21, 2021

    Ben Kohns

    Blessings, Coming Out – The Journey, Faith, Freedom, Justice, Life, Love, NaPoWriMo 2021, Poetry, Uncategorized
    choices, consequences, good and evil, hypocrisy
    it may cost your soul
  • journée

    A day is born

    April 20, 2021

    Ben Kohns

    Blessings, Coming Out – The Journey, Faith, Freedom, Life, Love, NaPoWriMo 2021, Poetry, Purpose, Uncategorized
    darkness, haiku, Korean, light, see, sijo, sunrise, walk
    journée
  • dismount

    But friendless souls are angry haunts; degrading makes belonging wrong.

    April 19, 2021

    Ben Kohns

    Blessings, Christianity, Justice, Kindness, Life, Love, Mental Illness, NaPoWriMo 2021, Poetry, Purpose
    comparison, kindness matters, self-esteem
    dismount
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