“For every ending we survive reminds our weary soul, we’re alive. So walk it brave, though none can see the shape of what tomorrow will be. For life is not the plans we write, it's how we love and how we fight.” - Jason Strickland Stunning words by @Jason Strickland Most of you know Jason from Art or Poetry… but this deserves a moment 🖤 He recently called a few of us in to be part of a poetry book… and turned it into something super cool Page by page, he built a whole world. Voices, stories, emotion… all woven into a real book. Where Our Voices Begin : Poetry from The Art of Poetry Community I love poetry. I love the healing that comes from sitting with your thoughts and turning them into words. But I also love just reading it… getting lost in someone else’s world. I have books from some of the greats on my shelf… and now a few of poems, along with other incredible artists—some even in the Ink & Alchemy room right now—have a place there too. Publishing is not easy. At all. But Jason makes it look effortless… and that is so inspiring 🔥 I just want to hold him up on a pedestal for a moment. His vision and care turned this into something real—something you can actually hold in your hands 📚 And more than anything… he knows how to bring people together and create something meaningful. Grateful to be part of it. Grateful to witness it 🖤 This is what art looks like when it’s done right. PS you can read the book for free on your kindle, or for a couple dollars more purchase a hard copy that will be shipped out to you. Support Book Publishing at Art of Poetry Love Nikki

🌿 The Unwritten Truth 🌿 There are things we carry that never make it to the page… until now. Today’s challenge is simple—but it hits deep: Write the truth you almost didn’t share. The line you hesitated to say. The feeling you buried. The moment that still lingers in your chest. No filters. No overthinking. Just honesty in its rawest form. Your prompt: 👉 “I almost didn’t say this, but…” Finish the line. Let it unravel into whatever it needs to become— a poem, a fragment, a confession, a storm. 🔥 Bonus Twist (optional): Write it in 10 lines or less because truth doesn’t need to be long to be powerful. Drop your piece below and take a moment to read someone else’s. Because poetry isn’t just about being heard— it’s about listening, too. Let’s make today unforgettable

There are things we carry that never make it to the page… until now. Today’s challenge is simple—but it hits deep: Write the truth you almost didn’t share. The line you hesitated to say. The feeling you buried. The moment that still lingers in your chest. No filters. No overthinking. Just honesty in its rawest form. Your prompt: 👉 “I almost didn’t say this, but…” Finish the line. Let it unravel into whatever it needs to become— a poem, a fragment, a confession, a storm. 🔥 Bonus Twist (optional): Write it in 10 lines or less because truth doesn’t need to be long to be powerful. Drop your piece below and take a moment to read someone else’s. Because poetry isn’t just about being heard— it’s about listening, too. Let’s make today unforgettable.

Her fingers don't just hold they are a symphony of clinks and clacks a metallic chorus announcing her arrival. Silver whispers, brass hums, each bracelet a story worn close to her pulse, a collection of captured light. A simple gesture, a flick of the wrist, and the air fills with the music of her days. Not for show, not for fanfare, just a quiet delight in the weight, the sound, the feel of metal kissing skin. A dozen arcs, maybe more, a shimmering armor, a constant, gentle reminder of the joy found in small adornments. Her bangles are her heartbeat made visible, her spirit dancing with every shift and sway.

Writing Prompt: “The Moment Everything Shifted” We all have that moment. The one that changed everything—quietly or all at once. Write a poem about a turning point in your life. It could be big… or so small no one else noticed. 💭 A choice 💭 A loss 💭 A realization 💭 A beginning disguised as an ending Let’s go there today. Share your poem below and read a few others while you’re here 💛 then head over to Art of Poetry & Alive Poets Society and see what everyone is working on and posting Happy Thursday