Flame, Glass and Ink are Poems, essays, and reading notes by Stefania Joori Suh

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  • prompt 40

    Are you more of a night or morning person?

    I am a lunar person who wakes up early when the morning dew is released as the Moon returns her home before the Sun Chariot and writes late in the evening when the stars are serenading the Moon.

    Days are for the Bread and Nights for the Mind. When I am off from work at home, I watch movies during the day and write at night, followed by reading my Kindle. I feel my creative streak comes out when the sun goes down, just as my cats become more active at the same time. Perhaps my nocturnal tendencies spring from being a Tiger animal sign, born at 7 o’clock on a wintry night. The words appear in flights of fancy, and the images conjure up in a phantasmagorical display on a magical mirror. Perhaps it’s the lunar power that draws me into the mysteries of the world that has never been. Or is it the lunar power in me thas has never been known?

    Oh, and did I mention I wake up at the Witching Hour now and then? My two cats, Toro and Camille, know it too, but they are only glad to see me waking so I can give them nightly treats. I feel welcome in the World of Night. ⭐️🌟💫✨🧚‍♀️

  • On the Nancy’s Steps

    Photo Credit: Londonist
    Source: https://londonist.com/london/history/where-are-nancy-s-steps-and-why-do-they-lie-to-us

    There are stairs called “Nancy’s Steps”
    at the London Bridge on the Thames
    where Nancy used to walk up and down
    from her den to the world, back to the den
    to live a life God cared less with neglect
    with nothing more than her untainted heart
    flowing milk of kindness and compassion
    into the neverending faith of humanity alone
    Even if it betrayed her and bullied her in tatters;
    She pitied an orphaned boy named Oliver
    And protected himself from the world under
    Until the blindfolded Goddess Fortuna span
    The Wheel of Fortune to the fateful turn
    To which all her wishes were forefeited
    As her already wretched body was battered
    With the compass of the wheel bludgeoned
    Her life with the heart cherished with love;
    With the blows upon her still young head
    all her hopes for the beauty of life shattered
    and her tears rolling down her cold cheeks
    turned into liquid drops of pearls and crystals,
    and then, with a cry of the heart, she departed.
    or thought she, for she knew not what happened
    from dusk till dawn, wandering and waiting
    on the fateful steps, asking if you’d seen the boy.

  • Prompt 39

    What are your feelings about eating meat?

    Carnivorous is not necessarily vicious, as hervirous isn’t always peace-loving. But omnivorous is even better, with a tendency to lean more toward fruit and vegetables for facile digestive purposes.

    Yet, it is also unignorable to remark that people who eat more meat/poultry seem more extroverted than those who don’t. I prefer fish and vegetables to meat or poultry because it is more agreeable to my digestive system, which is why I may have a certain conception about meat consumption.

    Still, protein is the essential substance that contributes to one’s physical development, such as the increase in height and muscles. There’s reason humans are omnivrous, a concilation of Ying with Yang, Light with Dark, Fire and Water. The equilibrium of elements will be optimum.

  • Prompt 38

    What are your two favorite things to wear?

    Timeless classic
    Effortlessly chic

    My two favorite things I wear for all seasons are a knitted cardigan and a hairband with decorations. They are my staple wardrobe regime that does not sacrifice style for functionality and vice versa.

    The temperature of Southern California, where I live, is similar to a desert climate in which days are hot and nights are cold. So, I always wear a knitted cardigan early in the morning and evening to keep me warm and cozy. And for my thick and sleek hair that tends to lush forward when I write and type, I wear a hairband, preferably decorated with a ribbon or sparkling gemstones, creating a coco Chanel-inspired look. I think a hairband with decorations is a great accessory to vamp up a woman’s look effortlessly in a chic way, regardless of age.

    I want to thank James Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan, who is credited for creating a Modern-day cardigan modeled after the military waistcoats British Army Officers wore during the Crimean War. My thanks also extend to Coco Chanel, who adorned cardigans with feminine beauty with a finishing touch of charming hairband. ✨🌸🧚‍♀️

  • Prompt 37

    What technology would you be better off without, why?

    Being a transient generation privileged with the Dolby system on CD and DVD to the digital sound of streaming music and movies, I opine that a fax machine with manual feeders should be enshrined in the Museum of Civilization for Posterity. 🤓

  • prompt 36

    What’s the hardest decision you’ve ever had to make? Why?

    I have my share of making the hardest decision that I want to divulge in the hope of making the readers see that your problems are not unique but common to all of us and, therefore, support you to do what your heart tells you to do.

    Do you like Dickensian stories? So the story goes.

    It happened at my workplace, where I started this past March. I landed this job through a referral of an employee who was a friend of my acquaintance. I am thankful that I got this job, which is highly competitive with decent pay and benefits here in Los Angeles, CA. But the gratitude should not exploit my dignity and vulnerability at no expense. The employee who referred me to the job became my supervising manager, but it didn’t take long for me to realize her uncontrollable temper, topped with tantrums and mistreatment of me in public. She constantly berated my performance – even if my mistakes were not fatal, resulting from her inept management and leadership skills. She caviled at my appearance, saying it’s too thin and thus pauperish and haggard. That didn’t end there. She shouted at me over the phone every Friday when she worked from home, tainting TGIF in Evil Friday. And the torture continued.

    My colleagues who shared the same office space witnessed such malice and urged me to talk to HR so that they could put me on a different team. However, I was hesitant to do so, though my spirit was yearning, because I was afraid of the worst scenario of my getting discharged from the position since I was still on a probation period. So, I waited until a divine sign resulted from my prayer. Days passed, and finally, the moment arrived on a Friday. I couldn’t take her insult any longer, so I took the matter to HR in person and via email. The result was the change of my team from hell to heaven. Now, I work under an organized manager with leadership/management skills and a graceful personality as a bonus. So, in sum, my hard decision to voice out a cry of the heart was fortuitous. Happy Ending.