Poem: "A Bit of Comfort and Kindness"
Jan. 22nd, 2022 10:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis poem came out of the December 7, 2021 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from dialecticdreamer. It also fills the "Hats" square in my 12-1-21 card for the Winterfest Bingo. This poem has been sponsored by janetmiles. It belongs to the Mercedes thread of the Polychrome Heroics series.
Warning: This poem features skin hunger, touch aversion, and trust issues as people work through those things with healthy touch.
"A Bit of Comfort and Kindness"
[Monday, March 14, 2016]
Blainn shifted restlessly from
foot to foot as he waited for
Bennett to open the door.
"Hi, Blainn, what's up?"
Bennett asked, beckoning
him into the tattoo parlor.
"I um, you told me Mondays
weren't your busiest days?"
Blainn said. "And you'n
everyone else have talked
about skin hunger and stuff?"
"Okay," said Bennett. "I only
have a couple more clients today,
and they're not until the evening.
Most of my Monday regulars
are the early bird types."
"Uh huh," said Blainn.
"So I was wondering if
you uh, could do anything
about skin hunger and
touch aversion and stuff."
"Sure, I have plenty of ways
to help with those," Bennett said.
"Anything in particular you want?"
"I dunno, just --" Blainn flapped
a hand. "-- something, I guess."
"Did anything inspire this visit?"
Bennett said. "That might help."
"Yeah, kinda?" Blainn said as
he jittered from place to place. "I
met Junket. He's weird, but nice.
We touched each other -- not like
that! -- and it was really nice. So I
wondered it'd work with anyone else."
"Junket and Jules are friends too,"
said Bennett. "So, healthy touch,
platonic? We could work on that.
I can give you an hour slot now."
"Yeah, an hour's good," said Blainn.
"It was, um, something to do with
energy, our energy, too?"
"Okay, that's a soup thing;
some people with superpowers
can feel each other's energy, and
some can't," said Bennett. "It's
less common but not unheard of
with ordinary people. I'm not
a soup, but I have some sense
because I'm a massage therapist."
"He petted me like a cat and it
felt really good," Blainn admitted.
Bennett smiled. "I can certainly
pet people; it's quite popular."
"But I'm still scared too,"
Blainn said, looking down.
"Plenty of people feel nervous
about bodywork, or even about
touch in general," said Bennett.
"Why don't we just start with
some basic trustbuilding and
boundary work, then see
what kind of touch you like?"
"Yeah, okay," said Blainn.
"That sounds pretty good."
"The recovery room has
a couch and several chairs,"
said Bennett. "Come on back."
Blainn followed him there.
It was cozy and quiet in back.
"You like Purr Little Things?"
Bennett asked as he picked up
the remote for the viewscreen.
"Yeah, I like cats," Blainn replied.
Bennett turned on the viewscreen, and
a snowshoe cat with kittens appeared.
She had a loud, almost clattery purr.
The caption read, Motorboat & Family.
"Okay," said Bennett. "I'll sit down
on the couch, then you can sit
wherever you feel comfortable."
Blainn waffled a little before he
settled on the next cushion over.
"Why's everyone so focused on
touch?" he wondered. "A lot of folks
here talk about it, but before, nobody
really did that, and I don't know why."
"The human touch is that little snippet
of physical affection that brings a bit of
comfort and kindness," Bennett said,
pinching a sliver of air between thumb
and forefinger. "It doesn't take much
from the one who gives it, but can make
a huge difference in the one who receives it."
"So ... what do we do now?" Blainn asked.
"I've only done this stuff with Junket."
"Sit back and relax," said Bennett.
"If you want to get more comfortable,
take off your jacket and anything else
you'd rather shuck. It's up to you."
Blainn scrunched down a little.
"Do I have to take my hat off?"
"No," said Bennett. "The point is
to relax and practice boundaries.
You don't have to do anything
that makes you uncomfortable."
"Even if I just sit here with
a foot of space between us?"
Blainn said, waving a hand in it.
He took his jacket off, though.
"Especially if all you do is that,"
said Bennett. "I've worked with
people where that was just what
they needed, freedom to sit where
they wanted without any pressure
to move or snuggle or whatever."
"Yeah ... that'd be good," said Blainn.
"Where I was, sometimes people
would grab me, push me around,
when they weren't ignoring me."
"Hey, I could sit on my hands
if that helps," said Bennett.
"Sometimes I've offered
to handcuff myself, but I
haven't seen you express
any interest in kink. So,
sitting on hands can work."
Blainn stared at him. "Uh ...
just the sitting, please."
Who handcuffed
themselves? That
sounded so weird.
Bennett just nodded
and tucked his hands
underneath his legs.
The video of purring cats
was nice. The kittens were
cute, their tiny paws kneading.
Blainn sighed and melted
into the couch a little more.
"Comfortable?" said Bennett.
"Yeah, getting there," Blainn said.
"I'm not real good at relaxing."
"That can take practice,"
Bennett said seriously.
"Just think about letting
your muscles unwind.
We're safe in here."
Blainn tried to follow
those instructions, and
wound up more-or-less
leaning on Bennett.
He'd seen Jules
sprawled half over
Bennett before, but
Blain wasn't quite
that relaxed yet.
He scooched
a little closer to
Bennett, though.
His hat was starting
to slip off, letting some
of his hair get loose, but
he didn't care enough
to reach up and fix it.
"Want something else?"
Bennett said. "You'll
have to tell me if you do."
"Could you, um ... maybe
putanarmaroundme?"
Blainn asked him.
"Sure," Bennett said,
draping an arm over him.
Blainn leaned into Bennett
as he listened to the cats purring.
He liked a bit of comfort and kindness.
* * *
Notes:
"The human touch is that little snippet of physical affection that brings a bit of comfort, support, and kindness. It doesn't take much from the one who gives it, but can make a huge difference in the one who receives it."
-- Mya Robarts, The V Girl: A Coming Of Age Story
Read about touch aversion, skin hunger, and trust building.
Purr Little Things is a Terramagne-American charity which rescues cats. The ones they can't find permanent homes for are put to work as purr generators. Among the services offered are borrowing cats to purr on people -- very popular in cases of grief or broken bones -- and making videos of individual cats or piles of cats on a bed purring. Even some of the "less adoptable" cats have found homes after becoming popular through the videos. The program is so successful that branches of the charity often break even, and sometimes turn a profit which can be reinvested in helping more cats.
Enjoy a video of Motorboat & Family.
dialecticdreamer. It also fills the "Hats" square in my 12-1-21 card for the Winterfest Bingo. This poem has been sponsored by janetmiles. It belongs to the Mercedes thread of the Polychrome Heroics series.Warning: This poem features skin hunger, touch aversion, and trust issues as people work through those things with healthy touch.
"A Bit of Comfort and Kindness"
[Monday, March 14, 2016]
Blainn shifted restlessly from
foot to foot as he waited for
Bennett to open the door.
"Hi, Blainn, what's up?"
Bennett asked, beckoning
him into the tattoo parlor.
"I um, you told me Mondays
weren't your busiest days?"
Blainn said. "And you'n
everyone else have talked
about skin hunger and stuff?"
"Okay," said Bennett. "I only
have a couple more clients today,
and they're not until the evening.
Most of my Monday regulars
are the early bird types."
"Uh huh," said Blainn.
"So I was wondering if
you uh, could do anything
about skin hunger and
touch aversion and stuff."
"Sure, I have plenty of ways
to help with those," Bennett said.
"Anything in particular you want?"
"I dunno, just --" Blainn flapped
a hand. "-- something, I guess."
"Did anything inspire this visit?"
Bennett said. "That might help."
"Yeah, kinda?" Blainn said as
he jittered from place to place. "I
met Junket. He's weird, but nice.
We touched each other -- not like
that! -- and it was really nice. So I
wondered it'd work with anyone else."
"Junket and Jules are friends too,"
said Bennett. "So, healthy touch,
platonic? We could work on that.
I can give you an hour slot now."
"Yeah, an hour's good," said Blainn.
"It was, um, something to do with
energy, our energy, too?"
"Okay, that's a soup thing;
some people with superpowers
can feel each other's energy, and
some can't," said Bennett. "It's
less common but not unheard of
with ordinary people. I'm not
a soup, but I have some sense
because I'm a massage therapist."
"He petted me like a cat and it
felt really good," Blainn admitted.
Bennett smiled. "I can certainly
pet people; it's quite popular."
"But I'm still scared too,"
Blainn said, looking down.
"Plenty of people feel nervous
about bodywork, or even about
touch in general," said Bennett.
"Why don't we just start with
some basic trustbuilding and
boundary work, then see
what kind of touch you like?"
"Yeah, okay," said Blainn.
"That sounds pretty good."
"The recovery room has
a couch and several chairs,"
said Bennett. "Come on back."
Blainn followed him there.
It was cozy and quiet in back.
"You like Purr Little Things?"
Bennett asked as he picked up
the remote for the viewscreen.
"Yeah, I like cats," Blainn replied.
Bennett turned on the viewscreen, and
a snowshoe cat with kittens appeared.
She had a loud, almost clattery purr.
The caption read, Motorboat & Family.
"Okay," said Bennett. "I'll sit down
on the couch, then you can sit
wherever you feel comfortable."
Blainn waffled a little before he
settled on the next cushion over.
"Why's everyone so focused on
touch?" he wondered. "A lot of folks
here talk about it, but before, nobody
really did that, and I don't know why."
"The human touch is that little snippet
of physical affection that brings a bit of
comfort and kindness," Bennett said,
pinching a sliver of air between thumb
and forefinger. "It doesn't take much
from the one who gives it, but can make
a huge difference in the one who receives it."
"So ... what do we do now?" Blainn asked.
"I've only done this stuff with Junket."
"Sit back and relax," said Bennett.
"If you want to get more comfortable,
take off your jacket and anything else
you'd rather shuck. It's up to you."
Blainn scrunched down a little.
"Do I have to take my hat off?"
"No," said Bennett. "The point is
to relax and practice boundaries.
You don't have to do anything
that makes you uncomfortable."
"Even if I just sit here with
a foot of space between us?"
Blainn said, waving a hand in it.
He took his jacket off, though.
"Especially if all you do is that,"
said Bennett. "I've worked with
people where that was just what
they needed, freedom to sit where
they wanted without any pressure
to move or snuggle or whatever."
"Yeah ... that'd be good," said Blainn.
"Where I was, sometimes people
would grab me, push me around,
when they weren't ignoring me."
"Hey, I could sit on my hands
if that helps," said Bennett.
"Sometimes I've offered
to handcuff myself, but I
haven't seen you express
any interest in kink. So,
sitting on hands can work."
Blainn stared at him. "Uh ...
just the sitting, please."
Who handcuffed
themselves? That
sounded so weird.
Bennett just nodded
and tucked his hands
underneath his legs.
The video of purring cats
was nice. The kittens were
cute, their tiny paws kneading.
Blainn sighed and melted
into the couch a little more.
"Comfortable?" said Bennett.
"Yeah, getting there," Blainn said.
"I'm not real good at relaxing."
"That can take practice,"
Bennett said seriously.
"Just think about letting
your muscles unwind.
We're safe in here."
Blainn tried to follow
those instructions, and
wound up more-or-less
leaning on Bennett.
He'd seen Jules
sprawled half over
Bennett before, but
Blain wasn't quite
that relaxed yet.
He scooched
a little closer to
Bennett, though.
His hat was starting
to slip off, letting some
of his hair get loose, but
he didn't care enough
to reach up and fix it.
"Want something else?"
Bennett said. "You'll
have to tell me if you do."
"Could you, um ... maybe
putanarmaroundme?"
Blainn asked him.
"Sure," Bennett said,
draping an arm over him.
Blainn leaned into Bennett
as he listened to the cats purring.
He liked a bit of comfort and kindness.
* * *
Notes:
"The human touch is that little snippet of physical affection that brings a bit of comfort, support, and kindness. It doesn't take much from the one who gives it, but can make a huge difference in the one who receives it."
-- Mya Robarts, The V Girl: A Coming Of Age Story
Read about touch aversion, skin hunger, and trust building.
Purr Little Things is a Terramagne-American charity which rescues cats. The ones they can't find permanent homes for are put to work as purr generators. Among the services offered are borrowing cats to purr on people -- very popular in cases of grief or broken bones -- and making videos of individual cats or piles of cats on a bed purring. Even some of the "less adoptable" cats have found homes after becoming popular through the videos. The program is so successful that branches of the charity often break even, and sometimes turn a profit which can be reinvested in helping more cats.
Enjoy a video of Motorboat & Family.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-01-23 06:46 am (UTC)Well ...
Date: 2022-01-23 07:03 am (UTC)You can also check with
Feel free to ask for more about Bennett in any relevant prompt call. The Creative Jam is open this weekend, and there's a Poetry Fishbowl coming up in February.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-01-23 04:09 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2022-01-24 02:25 am (UTC)You're welcome!
Date: 2022-01-24 06:04 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2022-01-23 01:03 pm (UTC)Looks like the link to Motorboat and family leads to the referenced quote instead.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-01-23 01:41 pm (UTC)Blainn is definitely a feral kitten at heart, skittish, half-afraid and covering that with bluster at times, but still wanting affection and comfort.
Well ...
Date: 2022-01-23 06:34 pm (UTC)Blainn is a stray who had some positive experiences early on, followed by abandonment and negative experiences.
Shiv is an alley can born feral who grew up with people throwing cans at him and was confused when other people started putting down cans with food in them.
It's a lot easier to make friends with a stray or a barn cat than an alley cat or other feral.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-01-23 06:53 pm (UTC)Do Cheetahs Prefer Cold Hard Concrete Or Warm Blankets Pillow & A Friend? | Three BIG CAT Night - YouTube
Well ...
Date: 2022-01-23 07:07 pm (UTC)Re: Well ...
Date: 2022-01-23 07:34 pm (UTC)Re: Well ...
Date: 2022-01-23 07:57 pm (UTC)Re: Well ...
Date: 2022-01-24 02:50 am (UTC)Re: Well ...
Date: 2022-01-24 03:32 am (UTC)Also ...
Date: 2022-01-23 07:10 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2022-01-27 02:18 am (UTC)Thank you!
Date: 2022-01-27 03:23 am (UTC)