Poem: "Why I Named My Pet Rock Mom"

[ysabetwordsmith]

This poem was inspired by the story "Hello, Rachel Eastwitch" by dialecticdreamer. It also fills the "parent" square in my 5-1-18 Gimmicks / Roles / Characters card for the Pro Wrestling Bingo fest. It has been sponsored by bairnsidhe. This poem belongs to the Mercedes thread of the Polychrome Heroics series.

Warning: The backstory includes serious abuse.


"Why I Named My Pet Rock 'Mom'
or, 10 Ways a Smooth Stone Is Better Than an Abusive Parent"


A pet rock is old and has seen it all before.

A pet rock will always be there for me.

A pet rock will listen to anything I tell it.

A pet rock can't stalk me and my family.

A pet rock will never let me down.

A pet rock will never call me useless.

A pet rock will never badmouth me to other people.

A pet rock will never mess with my education.

A pet rock will never hit me, or hit anyone I love.

A pet rock will never pretend to love me and then hurt me.

Comments

Re: Am now--

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> Picturing this poem making the rounds at the school. Pinned inside lockers, taped to the outside of lockers, on teachers' doors, and so on... <<

*WHOP* *stamp of canon approval*

>>Not to bother Jules, but to make the point that abuse is SUBTLE sometimes, and it takes people willing to SPOT IT as well as stand up to it. <<

I think this would be good to explore. Some types of abuse are obvious, easy to spot and prove. If someone comes to school with bruises, people are going to notice, as Lawrence found out the hard way. But if it's something like gaslighting or character assassination, then statistically speaking bystanders will side with the abuser. Riley was an example of someone trying to build up enough of a case against thon's parents that the authorities would take it seriously -- and they were lying about thon's whole body.

Perhaps someone will host workshops, probably divided into teen and adult sessions, on how to recognize some of the subtler forms of abuse and what to do if you suspect it. In this case, most of Rachel's nonsense could have been blocked if people simply refused to be her flying monkeys.

Re: Am now--

[dialecticdreamer]

Of the four notes left on the truck, one was a 'flying monkey' statement. That's pretty typical right now, since it's less likely that those involved in taking depositions will BLAB-- because of the ages of Bennett when he left and Jules when she tried to go for a direct attack. HERE, yeah, people let things slip and shrug off the violation of privacy.

Re: Am now--

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> Of the four notes left on the truck, one was a 'flying monkey' statement. <<

>_<

>> That's pretty typical right now, since it's less likely that those involved in taking depositions will BLAB-- because of the ages of Bennett when he left and Jules when she tried to go for a direct attack.<<

That makes sense. There's very good grounds for charging her with assorted counts of abuse.

>> HERE, yeah, people let things slip and shrug off the violation of privacy.<<

It happens in T-America too -- look at Shiv -- but much less often, and other people are more likely to disapprove and make an issue of it.

Re: Am now--

[dialecticdreamer]

Exactly-- after a week or two in Italy, people in Mercedes will have had time to THINK, and fewer of the flying monkey ideas will hold water.

JUST the fact that Rachel never paid a penny of child support will tear away a lot of the AUTOMATIC "side with the woman" thinking. SHE is the deadbeat parent in this case, and it shows.

Re: Am now--

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> Exactly-- after a week or two in Italy, people in Mercedes will have had time to THINK, and fewer of the flying monkey ideas will hold water. <<

That's good.

>> JUST the fact that Rachel never paid a penny of child support will tear away a lot of the AUTOMATIC "side with the woman" thinking. SHE is the deadbeat parent in this case, and it shows.<<

Yeah, since she and Bennett never made an agreement on that topic, the state is free to do it for them using standard measures, plus damages. :D

Re: Am now--

[dialecticdreamer]

Which is NOT like L-America in so MANY ways!