Poem: "The Responsibility That Comes"
Jan. 15th, 2015 03:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis poem is from the January 6, 2015 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from stardreamer and siliconshaman. It also fills the "accepting responsibility" square in my 12-30-14 card for the Rites of Passage fest. This poem has been sponsored by Anthony & Shirley Barrette. It belongs to the series Polychrome Heroics, and is a direct sequel to "In Dublin's Fair City."
"The Responsibility That Comes"
It was Friday night, which was Planning Night
at the Merry Wren, where some boys from the IRA
typically met to discuss what to do for the weekend.
With Irish Reunification just passed, however,
their former goal no longer guided them.
Instead they sat around drinking and
stuffing themselves with salted peanuts
and looking like a bunch of lost sheep.
Dylan poured out the drinks
and listened to the fractured gossip.
Backdraft had been right, the bloody git,
predicting how the lads would be
cast adrift in the wake of Reunification.
Ticker was fizzing with so much nervous energy
that Dylan doubted there were two watches
left in the room keeping the same time.
Catseye huddled in a corner booth
with a platter of fish-and-chips,
so hidden in the shadows that
only his glowing green eyes showed.
Professor O'Cuinn had confined himself
to a single glass of whisky, dark with peat,
as he transferred notes from Saol na Gaeilge
to a notebook page. He didn't even own
a vidwatch, let alone a computer tablet.
Somehow he kept up with the news anyway; he had
a whole page about a place called the Maldives.
If they wanted a future,
Dylan realized as he filled glasses,
they'd have to build one brick by brick.
The other lads -- and a few lasses --
clung to each other in little clusters
as they talked about the Reunification
and what it could mean for them,
though nobody seemed to know.
They looked at Ticker when he flitted past,
following him with their eyes
as much as they had followed him
to this action or that one in recent years.
He needed a nudge, is what.
"Looks like someone better hero up soon,
or we won't need the Sassenachs
to be giving us the headache," Dylan said
when Ticker came for a refill on his drink.
"What do you mean by that?" Ticker asked,
his eyes so wide that the whites showed.
"A hero's just a man who accepts
the responsibility that comes with freedom,"
Dylan said as he polished the bar.
"I'm not a hero!" Ticker protested. "In case
you hadn't noticed, I'm a soddin' terrorist."
"You were a terrorist, because that is what
Ireland needed at the time," Dylan said.
"She still needs you, mate, but we've won.
It's not terrorism that's needed now, but diplomacy.
Question is, are you man enough to step up?"
Ticker gave a panicky laugh. "A diplomat?
Me? You're out of your bloomin' mind."
"I'm not telling you what to do," Dylan said.
"I'm just asking you to consider it. You can't
deny that Ireland is in want of leadership,
especially in terms of improving status
for people with superpowers.
It's up to you whether to accept."
"I don't know how to do that sort of thing,"
Ticker said. "I wouldn't even know where to start."
"Are ye willin' to learn?"
Professor O'Cuinn asked,
without looking up from his whiskey.
"I -- I guess so," Ticker stammered,
"but I got no money for university,
even if they'd let me in."
"Leave that to me, lad," the professor said.
"If ye're willin' to learn, I'm willin' to teach,
and where there's a will there's a way."
"We could, maybe, help somehow,"
Catseye offered, and the others nodded.
"There's got to be stuff we could do
to get folks more motivated about
the Reunification and soups and all.
We're still with you, mate."
"Bleedin' hell, what've I got meself into now?"
Ticker whispered. The ice in his glass
rattled against the sides.
"And mind yer mouth, ye're a leader,
not some punk in a street gang,"
the professor said sharply.
"Yes, sir," Ticker said
as he finally lifted his chin
to look the older man in the eye.
* * *
Notes:
Catseye (Ardan Clooney) -- He has fair skin, wavy brown hair, and green eyes. He has a lot of body hair and usually a short scruff of beard. His Cat Eyes have slitted pupils and glow green. They allow him to see in very dim light, and occasionally he can see through Invisibility or Illusions too. Some of his relatives are policemen. Ardan has been agitating for Irish reunification for years, although he dislikes open violence. He's more of a hanger-on than IRA proper. He is a friend of Ticker.
Origin: He was born with his superpower.
Uniform: Street clothes.
Qualities: Good (+2) Activist, Good (+2) Agility, Good (+2) Extended Family, Good (+2) Friends on the Force, Good (+2) Passionate
Poor (-2) Dealing with Dogs
Powers: Average (0) Cat Eyes
Motivation: Peaceful Irish reunification.
Bradan O'Cuinn -- He has ruddy skin, white hair, and blue eyes. He is short and stocky. Professor O'Cuinn teaches history, politics, and sociology. He is a follower of Demosthenes. He is fluent in Irish Gaelic as well as English. He likes whisky with a strong peat flavour.
Qualities: Master (+6) College Professor, Good (+2) Fisherman, Good (+2) Patience
Poor (-2) Prejudiced Against the British
* * *
"A hero is someone who understands the responsibility that comes with his freedom."
-- Bob Dylan
The Irish Republican Army has been many different things. This branch seems to be moving away from terrorism and gaining more interest in soup rights.
Nervous energy can have harmful effects. There are ways to cope with it.
Fish-and-chips is a popular comfort food often served in pubs. Yes, that recipe is how Dylan makes his, with hard apple cider. He offers apple cider or malt vinegar alongside.
Peat conveys a dark, rich flavor to whisky. I actually like both kinds. However, the water used to make the whiskey doesinfluence its flavor.
Saol na Gaeilge (Life of the Gael) is an Irish language newspaper based in Dublin.
The Republic of the Maldives is an island nation. In Terramagne it leads the development of soup rights.
Activist principles include "be the change you want to see in the world" and "build the world you want to live in." Here are some practical methods for change.
Sassenach is a rude word for the British.
Volunteering helps make the world a better place. Know how to volunteer yourself and how to organize other volunteers.
stardreamer and siliconshaman. It also fills the "accepting responsibility" square in my 12-30-14 card for the Rites of Passage fest. This poem has been sponsored by Anthony & Shirley Barrette. It belongs to the series Polychrome Heroics, and is a direct sequel to "In Dublin's Fair City.""The Responsibility That Comes"
It was Friday night, which was Planning Night
at the Merry Wren, where some boys from the IRA
typically met to discuss what to do for the weekend.
With Irish Reunification just passed, however,
their former goal no longer guided them.
Instead they sat around drinking and
stuffing themselves with salted peanuts
and looking like a bunch of lost sheep.
Dylan poured out the drinks
and listened to the fractured gossip.
Backdraft had been right, the bloody git,
predicting how the lads would be
cast adrift in the wake of Reunification.
Ticker was fizzing with so much nervous energy
that Dylan doubted there were two watches
left in the room keeping the same time.
Catseye huddled in a corner booth
with a platter of fish-and-chips,
so hidden in the shadows that
only his glowing green eyes showed.
Professor O'Cuinn had confined himself
to a single glass of whisky, dark with peat,
as he transferred notes from Saol na Gaeilge
to a notebook page. He didn't even own
a vidwatch, let alone a computer tablet.
Somehow he kept up with the news anyway; he had
a whole page about a place called the Maldives.
If they wanted a future,
Dylan realized as he filled glasses,
they'd have to build one brick by brick.
The other lads -- and a few lasses --
clung to each other in little clusters
as they talked about the Reunification
and what it could mean for them,
though nobody seemed to know.
They looked at Ticker when he flitted past,
following him with their eyes
as much as they had followed him
to this action or that one in recent years.
He needed a nudge, is what.
"Looks like someone better hero up soon,
or we won't need the Sassenachs
to be giving us the headache," Dylan said
when Ticker came for a refill on his drink.
"What do you mean by that?" Ticker asked,
his eyes so wide that the whites showed.
"A hero's just a man who accepts
the responsibility that comes with freedom,"
Dylan said as he polished the bar.
"I'm not a hero!" Ticker protested. "In case
you hadn't noticed, I'm a soddin' terrorist."
"You were a terrorist, because that is what
Ireland needed at the time," Dylan said.
"She still needs you, mate, but we've won.
It's not terrorism that's needed now, but diplomacy.
Question is, are you man enough to step up?"
Ticker gave a panicky laugh. "A diplomat?
Me? You're out of your bloomin' mind."
"I'm not telling you what to do," Dylan said.
"I'm just asking you to consider it. You can't
deny that Ireland is in want of leadership,
especially in terms of improving status
for people with superpowers.
It's up to you whether to accept."
"I don't know how to do that sort of thing,"
Ticker said. "I wouldn't even know where to start."
"Are ye willin' to learn?"
Professor O'Cuinn asked,
without looking up from his whiskey.
"I -- I guess so," Ticker stammered,
"but I got no money for university,
even if they'd let me in."
"Leave that to me, lad," the professor said.
"If ye're willin' to learn, I'm willin' to teach,
and where there's a will there's a way."
"We could, maybe, help somehow,"
Catseye offered, and the others nodded.
"There's got to be stuff we could do
to get folks more motivated about
the Reunification and soups and all.
We're still with you, mate."
"Bleedin' hell, what've I got meself into now?"
Ticker whispered. The ice in his glass
rattled against the sides.
"And mind yer mouth, ye're a leader,
not some punk in a street gang,"
the professor said sharply.
"Yes, sir," Ticker said
as he finally lifted his chin
to look the older man in the eye.
* * *
Notes:
Catseye (Ardan Clooney) -- He has fair skin, wavy brown hair, and green eyes. He has a lot of body hair and usually a short scruff of beard. His Cat Eyes have slitted pupils and glow green. They allow him to see in very dim light, and occasionally he can see through Invisibility or Illusions too. Some of his relatives are policemen. Ardan has been agitating for Irish reunification for years, although he dislikes open violence. He's more of a hanger-on than IRA proper. He is a friend of Ticker.
Origin: He was born with his superpower.
Uniform: Street clothes.
Qualities: Good (+2) Activist, Good (+2) Agility, Good (+2) Extended Family, Good (+2) Friends on the Force, Good (+2) Passionate
Poor (-2) Dealing with Dogs
Powers: Average (0) Cat Eyes
Motivation: Peaceful Irish reunification.
Bradan O'Cuinn -- He has ruddy skin, white hair, and blue eyes. He is short and stocky. Professor O'Cuinn teaches history, politics, and sociology. He is a follower of Demosthenes. He is fluent in Irish Gaelic as well as English. He likes whisky with a strong peat flavour.
Qualities: Master (+6) College Professor, Good (+2) Fisherman, Good (+2) Patience
Poor (-2) Prejudiced Against the British
* * *
"A hero is someone who understands the responsibility that comes with his freedom."
-- Bob Dylan
The Irish Republican Army has been many different things. This branch seems to be moving away from terrorism and gaining more interest in soup rights.
Nervous energy can have harmful effects. There are ways to cope with it.
Fish-and-chips is a popular comfort food often served in pubs. Yes, that recipe is how Dylan makes his, with hard apple cider. He offers apple cider or malt vinegar alongside.
Peat conveys a dark, rich flavor to whisky. I actually like both kinds. However, the water used to make the whiskey doesinfluence its flavor.
Saol na Gaeilge (Life of the Gael) is an Irish language newspaper based in Dublin.
The Republic of the Maldives is an island nation. In Terramagne it leads the development of soup rights.
Activist principles include "be the change you want to see in the world" and "build the world you want to live in." Here are some practical methods for change.
Sassenach is a rude word for the British.
Volunteering helps make the world a better place. Know how to volunteer yourself and how to organize other volunteers.
Re: I know--
Date: 2015-01-16 04:55 am (UTC)He's the guy who is curious about why a fellow learns to pick locks, or hotwire cars, and even how to do those things, with no interest in using that knowledge himself.
Which is an awful lot like Dylan's own approach to his patrons, isn't it?
G. The ideas are bubbling.
Re: I know--
Date: 2015-01-16 10:39 am (UTC)Yes, that makes sense.
>> He's the guy who is curious about why a fellow learns to pick locks, or hotwire cars, and even how to do those things, with no interest in using that knowledge himself. <<
But if he needed those skills in an emergency, he'd have the information, and an idea where to start.
>> Which is an awful lot like Dylan's own approach to his patrons, isn't it? <<
Very much so, yes. As a bartender, he gathers a great deal of information; but he acts on comparatively little of it. He's far more of a listener than a talker. When he does speak up, it's usually a hint or a nudge. If people start brawling, then he'll get assertive, but that's about what it takes to push him that far.
>> G. The ideas are bubbling. <<
*Numfar does the dance of joy*