Poem: "A Purring Parcel of Paradox"
Oct. 30th, 2020 06:09 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis poem is spillover from the September 1, 2020 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from chanter1944 and jtthomas. It also fills the "Out of Spoons (Energy Limitations)" square in my 9-1-20 card for the I Want Fries With That! Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by Anthony & Shirley Barrette. It belongs to the Officer Pink thread of the Polychrome Heroics series.
"A Purring Parcel of Paradox"
[Saturday, January 10, 2015]
Ansel went downstairs to his office,
where Nebuly was still stretched out
on the couch with Boots on his chest.
"Feeling any better?" Ansel asked.
"Not really," Nebuly said. "It's nice
to have a quiet place to rest, and
Boots is a darling, but ..." He flopped
a hand. "I still don't have any energy."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Ansel said.
"I've got guests coming in a few minutes.
Do you want to stay here or head home?"
"The telepathic kittens?" Nebuly said.
"Turq told me about them earlier."
"Yeah, they're a handful, but we're
trying to work with them," Ansel said.
"I think I'll stay," Nebuly said.
"Okay. I'll let Turq know. He's
still worried about you," Ansel said.
Nebuly sighed. "It's nothing new.
I'll drift out of it eventually, I always do.
It's just ... really inconvenient."
"I understand," Ansel said,
patting him on the ankle.
Turq came in and took
a seat on the couch, putting
Nebuly's feet in his lap.
Riposte, when he arrived,
listened to the introductions
and was properly sympathetic.
The kittens, not so much.
Napoleon and Cayenne
both tried to pester Nebuly.
"Fuck off," Nebuly said quietly.
"You don't scare me. I've
been tortured by people
a lot worse than you."
Cayenne backed away.
Napoleon stayed put.
Boots jumped off the couch
and squashed Napoleon.
The kitten hissed and squirmed,
but could not dislodge Boots, who
was much bigger and heavier.
Nebuly gave a faint chuckle.
"Okay, you made me smile."
Turq was smiling too. "Yeah,
it's hard to keep a straight face
around this bunch, even if
they're a pain in the tail."
Boots just purred at him.
Riposte and Ansel managed
to get Cayenne in the carrier,
and then coax Boots off so
they could crate Napoleon.
Boots looked at Mrrhow,
who was watching Nebuly.
"Please be gentle with
Nebuly," said Ansel. "He's
not feeling well today."
His mind is damaged,
Mrrhow observed.
"Yeah, we know,"
Turq said. "That's
what Nebuly meant
about the torture. We're
all pretty messed up by it."
Mrrhow minced across the room
and sniffed delicately at his feet.
Then she sat down, her tail
curling around her toes.
Boots huffed, then got behind
her and herded her toward Nebuly.
Nebuly dropped his hand to the floor
and let her sniff his fingers, then
stroked along her white back.
"Come on up here, if you can
be polite," Nebuly said.
Mrrhow flowed up onto
the couch, then settled
herself on his chest.
"Remember, ask first
if you want to touch
his mind," said Riposte.
Mrrhow flicked an ear
at him but said nothing.
After a few minutes,
though, Nebuly stirred.
"Huh," he said. "I think
I've got a bit of energy."
Boots hooked a paw under
the couch and pulled out
a small ball, which he
rolled toward Nebuly.
A moment's blur, and
Nebuly turned into ...
a collie, Ansel thought.
The dog was white patched
with black and grey, a few tufts
of bright caramel on his face.
"That's Merle," said Turq.
"We don't see him often."
Turq hadn't bothered
to name his other forms,
but Nebuly found it useful.
Mrrhow hopped down and
batted the ball, then looked
hopefully up at Merle.
The collie moved slower,
but he climbed off the couch
and mouthed the ball.
Turq smiled again.
"Anybody mind if I
change too?" he said.
"That looks like fun."
"Go ahead," Riposte said.
Turq shifted into caney form,
then hopped onto the floor.
The shifting made Ansel
a little nervous, because he
worried about Turq or Nebuly
mangling their bodies again, but
it was safer to shift when calm.
Merle nosed the ball to Turq,
who caught it and trotted over
to Ansel, then dropped it.
Ansel passed it to Riposte,
who rolled it toward Boots.
Mrrhow pounced on the ball,
kicking it with her feet.
They played like that
for a while, until Merle
ran out of energy again.
The caney flopped down
beside him, snuggling.
"Make yourselves comfortable,"
Ansel said, taking a chair.
Boots nudged Mrrhow
over next to Merle, then
plopped to the floor
and began to purr.
Mrrhow picked up
the refrain too.
"I think that she's
learning a lot about
emotional first aid,"
Ansel said with a smile.
"Even if she is a handful."
"I agree," Riposte said. "A cat
is a purring parcel of paradox,
a cunning collection of contradictions."
"A cat is lazy and busy, dainty and savage,
affectionate and aloof, greedy and finicky,
sound asleep in one instant, and awake
and stalking in the next," Ansel added.
"A cat is a limp puddle of softness,
surrounding a steel-hard and ever-alert
set of muscles," Riposte said. "A cat has
the face of a pansy flower, and is just as
velvety. A cat holds infinity in her eyes,
and your heart in her front paws."
"Maybe," Ansel said, watching
Mrrhow with Merle, "that's not
a bad place for a heart to be."
* * *
Notes:
"A cat is a purring parcel of paradox, a cunning collection of contradictions. A cat is lazy and busy, dainty and savage, affectionate and aloof, greedy and finicky, sound asleep in one instant, and awake and stalking in the next. A cat is a limp puddle of softness, surrounding a steel-hard and ever-alert set of muscles. ... A cat has the face of a pansy flower, and is just as velvety. A cat holds infinity in her eyes, and your heart in her front paws."
-- Leonore Fleischer
Depression can be a mental illness (arising from within) or a mental injury (caused by an outside force). Under extreme circumstances, it can even be a survival strategy. Child abuse and neglect cause changes in the brain which increase the risk of mental issues in general. Torture is prone to cause PTSD, exhaustion, impairment, and depression. Nebuly's damage manifests largely as depression and lethargy. There are many different ways to overcome depression and to support someone through it. Depression is also notorious for causing fatigue. These are some ways that depressed people have found to push through the exhaustion.
Supporting a depressed friend includes a lot of practical tasks. Read about what depressed people say is helpful.
Cats make effective service or therapy animals for certain conditions, such as PTSD. They have many healing qualities, especially the purr. A good therapy cat needs particular traits. Terramagne-America has more advanced parameters in this regard. Service animals are mainly about actions; therapy animals are mainly about comfort; and both are protected for the benefit of individual owners. Animal therapists are highly trained in emotional support and provide comfort to clients in institutional or professional settings such as a hospital or counselor's office. The requirements for assistance animals like these include: good health, public manners, obedience to commands, control (like walking on a leash or riding in a crate), and performance of specific tasks. The primary determination is whether or not an animal makes a material improvement in a person's ability to function. It is not tied to breed or species, although some are far more popular than others, and there are recommendations on which animals do best for what conditions. Read about certification for therapy cats.
chanter1944 and jtthomas. It also fills the "Out of Spoons (Energy Limitations)" square in my 9-1-20 card for the I Want Fries With That! Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by Anthony & Shirley Barrette. It belongs to the Officer Pink thread of the Polychrome Heroics series."A Purring Parcel of Paradox"
[Saturday, January 10, 2015]
Ansel went downstairs to his office,
where Nebuly was still stretched out
on the couch with Boots on his chest.
"Feeling any better?" Ansel asked.
"Not really," Nebuly said. "It's nice
to have a quiet place to rest, and
Boots is a darling, but ..." He flopped
a hand. "I still don't have any energy."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Ansel said.
"I've got guests coming in a few minutes.
Do you want to stay here or head home?"
"The telepathic kittens?" Nebuly said.
"Turq told me about them earlier."
"Yeah, they're a handful, but we're
trying to work with them," Ansel said.
"I think I'll stay," Nebuly said.
"Okay. I'll let Turq know. He's
still worried about you," Ansel said.
Nebuly sighed. "It's nothing new.
I'll drift out of it eventually, I always do.
It's just ... really inconvenient."
"I understand," Ansel said,
patting him on the ankle.
Turq came in and took
a seat on the couch, putting
Nebuly's feet in his lap.
Riposte, when he arrived,
listened to the introductions
and was properly sympathetic.
The kittens, not so much.
Napoleon and Cayenne
both tried to pester Nebuly.
"Fuck off," Nebuly said quietly.
"You don't scare me. I've
been tortured by people
a lot worse than you."
Cayenne backed away.
Napoleon stayed put.
Boots jumped off the couch
and squashed Napoleon.
The kitten hissed and squirmed,
but could not dislodge Boots, who
was much bigger and heavier.
Nebuly gave a faint chuckle.
"Okay, you made me smile."
Turq was smiling too. "Yeah,
it's hard to keep a straight face
around this bunch, even if
they're a pain in the tail."
Boots just purred at him.
Riposte and Ansel managed
to get Cayenne in the carrier,
and then coax Boots off so
they could crate Napoleon.
Boots looked at Mrrhow,
who was watching Nebuly.
"Please be gentle with
Nebuly," said Ansel. "He's
not feeling well today."
His mind is damaged,
Mrrhow observed.
"Yeah, we know,"
Turq said. "That's
what Nebuly meant
about the torture. We're
all pretty messed up by it."
Mrrhow minced across the room
and sniffed delicately at his feet.
Then she sat down, her tail
curling around her toes.
Boots huffed, then got behind
her and herded her toward Nebuly.
Nebuly dropped his hand to the floor
and let her sniff his fingers, then
stroked along her white back.
"Come on up here, if you can
be polite," Nebuly said.
Mrrhow flowed up onto
the couch, then settled
herself on his chest.
"Remember, ask first
if you want to touch
his mind," said Riposte.
Mrrhow flicked an ear
at him but said nothing.
After a few minutes,
though, Nebuly stirred.
"Huh," he said. "I think
I've got a bit of energy."
Boots hooked a paw under
the couch and pulled out
a small ball, which he
rolled toward Nebuly.
A moment's blur, and
Nebuly turned into ...
a collie, Ansel thought.
The dog was white patched
with black and grey, a few tufts
of bright caramel on his face.
"That's Merle," said Turq.
"We don't see him often."
Turq hadn't bothered
to name his other forms,
but Nebuly found it useful.
Mrrhow hopped down and
batted the ball, then looked
hopefully up at Merle.
The collie moved slower,
but he climbed off the couch
and mouthed the ball.
Turq smiled again.
"Anybody mind if I
change too?" he said.
"That looks like fun."
"Go ahead," Riposte said.
Turq shifted into caney form,
then hopped onto the floor.
The shifting made Ansel
a little nervous, because he
worried about Turq or Nebuly
mangling their bodies again, but
it was safer to shift when calm.
Merle nosed the ball to Turq,
who caught it and trotted over
to Ansel, then dropped it.
Ansel passed it to Riposte,
who rolled it toward Boots.
Mrrhow pounced on the ball,
kicking it with her feet.
They played like that
for a while, until Merle
ran out of energy again.
The caney flopped down
beside him, snuggling.
"Make yourselves comfortable,"
Ansel said, taking a chair.
Boots nudged Mrrhow
over next to Merle, then
plopped to the floor
and began to purr.
Mrrhow picked up
the refrain too.
"I think that she's
learning a lot about
emotional first aid,"
Ansel said with a smile.
"Even if she is a handful."
"I agree," Riposte said. "A cat
is a purring parcel of paradox,
a cunning collection of contradictions."
"A cat is lazy and busy, dainty and savage,
affectionate and aloof, greedy and finicky,
sound asleep in one instant, and awake
and stalking in the next," Ansel added.
"A cat is a limp puddle of softness,
surrounding a steel-hard and ever-alert
set of muscles," Riposte said. "A cat has
the face of a pansy flower, and is just as
velvety. A cat holds infinity in her eyes,
and your heart in her front paws."
"Maybe," Ansel said, watching
Mrrhow with Merle, "that's not
a bad place for a heart to be."
* * *
Notes:
"A cat is a purring parcel of paradox, a cunning collection of contradictions. A cat is lazy and busy, dainty and savage, affectionate and aloof, greedy and finicky, sound asleep in one instant, and awake and stalking in the next. A cat is a limp puddle of softness, surrounding a steel-hard and ever-alert set of muscles. ... A cat has the face of a pansy flower, and is just as velvety. A cat holds infinity in her eyes, and your heart in her front paws."
-- Leonore Fleischer
Depression can be a mental illness (arising from within) or a mental injury (caused by an outside force). Under extreme circumstances, it can even be a survival strategy. Child abuse and neglect cause changes in the brain which increase the risk of mental issues in general. Torture is prone to cause PTSD, exhaustion, impairment, and depression. Nebuly's damage manifests largely as depression and lethargy. There are many different ways to overcome depression and to support someone through it. Depression is also notorious for causing fatigue. These are some ways that depressed people have found to push through the exhaustion.
Supporting a depressed friend includes a lot of practical tasks. Read about what depressed people say is helpful.
Cats make effective service or therapy animals for certain conditions, such as PTSD. They have many healing qualities, especially the purr. A good therapy cat needs particular traits. Terramagne-America has more advanced parameters in this regard. Service animals are mainly about actions; therapy animals are mainly about comfort; and both are protected for the benefit of individual owners. Animal therapists are highly trained in emotional support and provide comfort to clients in institutional or professional settings such as a hospital or counselor's office. The requirements for assistance animals like these include: good health, public manners, obedience to commands, control (like walking on a leash or riding in a crate), and performance of specific tasks. The primary determination is whether or not an animal makes a material improvement in a person's ability to function. It is not tied to breed or species, although some are far more popular than others, and there are recommendations on which animals do best for what conditions. Read about certification for therapy cats.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-10-30 11:52 am (UTC)Well ...
Date: 2020-10-31 09:38 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2020-10-30 03:18 pm (UTC)I maintain that this is adorable. Merle sounds beautiful! Mrrhow is definitely learning, though she's still somewhere between human kindergartener and aloof feline, and that's a tricky mindset for me to grasp.
I'm a little surprised that, when squashed by Boots, Napoleon didn't try to bite. And... hmm. I wonder if Cayenne's picking up more than she'll admit to verbally, in the overall as well as this particular situation? Who am I kidding, I just want to see kickass fierce bright-aligned or at least ethical grey or black cape guard/enforcer cat.
Thoughts
Date: 2020-10-31 09:34 am (UTC)Yay!
>> Merle sounds beautiful! <<
He really is.
>> Mrrhow is definitely learning, though she's still somewhere between human kindergartener and aloof feline, and that's a tricky mindset for me to grasp. <<
She is young, but cats mature faster than humans. She is super-intelligent, but inexperienced. And she's in a culture very different from her own. That adds up to a certain amount of chaos. Compare with asynchronous development.
>> I'm a little surprised that, when squashed by Boots, Napoleon didn't try to bite. <<
The kittens seem to regard Boots as dominant. They may try to wriggle away (with little effect) but they aren't inclined to fight with him.
>>And... hmm. I wonder if Cayenne's picking up more than she'll admit to verbally, in the overall as well as this particular situation? <<
Quite possibly.
>> Who am I kidding, I just want to see kickass fierce bright-aligned or at least ethical grey or black cape guard/enforcer cat. <<
I think that Cayenne and Napoleon will wind up with supervillains. Mrrhow is slowly drifting toward the white side of the cape.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2020-11-02 10:57 am (UTC)Re: Thoughts
Date: 2020-11-02 11:15 am (UTC)Refreshing
Date: 2020-10-30 06:27 pm (UTC)Re: Refreshing
Date: 2020-10-31 10:32 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2020-10-31 12:42 am (UTC)Yay!
Date: 2020-10-31 09:23 am (UTC)