Poem: "Attainable Goals"
May. 5th, 2015 03:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis is today's freebie for the Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from curiosity. It also fills the "Set Attainable Goals" square in my 5-2-15 card for the Wellness Toolbox Bingo. This poem belongs to the series Walking the Beat.
"Attainable Goals"
When Dale's car broke down,
she took it to Good Neighbors Garage
and was assured that it would be
back on the street within a few hours.
She meant to walk down the block for lunch,
but then she spied Juste sitting on the steps,
his hands dangling limply between his knees.
"Hey," she said quietly. "You look kind of low."
"I suck at being good," he replied.
"Dad doesn't like that much."
"It's harder than it looks," Dale agreed.
Juste snorted. "What would you know."
"Oh, I was a wild thing in my teens,"
Dale said as she sat down beside him.
"It took me years to settle down."
"I just feel like ... I've got a good angel
on one shoulder and a bad angel on the other,
you know, like the song?" Juste said.
"Two Angels and a Dream," Dale said.
"So what's your dream, then?"
"I dunno," Juste said. "How did you
stop being so wild all the time?"
"I found something else to do,"
Dale said. "I tried to do one good thing
each day, and built up from there.
Eventually it crowded out the bad habits."
"Just one thing."
"Yes, it's all about setting attainable goals,"
Dale said. "If you try to change everything at once,
it's overwhelming, and you can't stick with it."
"I could maybe manage that," Juste said.
"I have faith in you," Dale said. "Besides,
if you're listening to your better angel,
you might just find that dream along the way."
"What makes you think that?" he asked.
"Because I did," Dale said.
She didn't tell Juste any more about
the long and winding road that led her
to police work, but then she didn't have to.
Restoring someone's hope was more about
inspiring good questions than giving pat answers.
* * *
Notes:
curiosity started this by requesting "Two Angels and a Dream." Read the lyrics online.
Random acts of kindness do good for the giver and receiver. Here are some you could try.
Goal setting is a vital life skill. In order to set "SMART" goals, you need to understand what makes a good goal. Sometimes it helps to have a more experienced person give you a sample that you can explore.
curiosity. It also fills the "Set Attainable Goals" square in my 5-2-15 card for the Wellness Toolbox Bingo. This poem belongs to the series Walking the Beat. "Attainable Goals"
When Dale's car broke down,
she took it to Good Neighbors Garage
and was assured that it would be
back on the street within a few hours.
She meant to walk down the block for lunch,
but then she spied Juste sitting on the steps,
his hands dangling limply between his knees.
"Hey," she said quietly. "You look kind of low."
"I suck at being good," he replied.
"Dad doesn't like that much."
"It's harder than it looks," Dale agreed.
Juste snorted. "What would you know."
"Oh, I was a wild thing in my teens,"
Dale said as she sat down beside him.
"It took me years to settle down."
"I just feel like ... I've got a good angel
on one shoulder and a bad angel on the other,
you know, like the song?" Juste said.
"Two Angels and a Dream," Dale said.
"So what's your dream, then?"
"I dunno," Juste said. "How did you
stop being so wild all the time?"
"I found something else to do,"
Dale said. "I tried to do one good thing
each day, and built up from there.
Eventually it crowded out the bad habits."
"Just one thing."
"Yes, it's all about setting attainable goals,"
Dale said. "If you try to change everything at once,
it's overwhelming, and you can't stick with it."
"I could maybe manage that," Juste said.
"I have faith in you," Dale said. "Besides,
if you're listening to your better angel,
you might just find that dream along the way."
"What makes you think that?" he asked.
"Because I did," Dale said.
She didn't tell Juste any more about
the long and winding road that led her
to police work, but then she didn't have to.
Restoring someone's hope was more about
inspiring good questions than giving pat answers.
* * *
Notes:
curiosity started this by requesting "Two Angels and a Dream." Read the lyrics online.Random acts of kindness do good for the giver and receiver. Here are some you could try.
Goal setting is a vital life skill. In order to set "SMART" goals, you need to understand what makes a good goal. Sometimes it helps to have a more experienced person give you a sample that you can explore.
Re: Thank you!
Date: 2015-05-21 08:13 pm (UTC)Does genre count as a technique?
Haha, you could say the same about me when I started writing fanfic. But after I started signing up for bingo cards, my goals changed and I decided I wanted to practice wrting 100-word drabbles, short stories, haiku, etc.
Re: Thank you!
Date: 2015-05-21 08:24 pm (UTC)For me, once I've learned a writing skill, it sticks with me. But then I have a whole coprocessor in my head for this stuff.
>> Does genre count as a technique? <<
Sure, if it's something you want to learn. "Write a fantasy story" is a measurable goal. "Write a good fantasy story," not so much.
>> Haha, you could say the same about me when I started writing fanfic. But after I started signing up for bingo cards, my goals changed and I decided I wanted to practice wrting 100-word drabbles, short stories, haiku, etc.<<
Goals can change over time, and should. Do what you want or need today.
Re: Thank you!
Date: 2015-05-21 08:29 pm (UTC)