Poem: "You Are So Busted"
Feb. 3rd, 2022 01:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis poem came out of the February 1, 2022 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from Dreamwidth user Nsfwords, who is sponsoring it in two installments. (The final installment should arrive on February 18.) It also fills the "You Are So Busted" square in my 2-1-22 card for the Valentines Bingo fest. This poem belongs to the series Eloquent Souls.
[Saturday, April 7, 2018]
Denis Broderick always
wore long sleeves, no matter
how hot it got in Missouri.
In spring it was bearable,
at least, which was good.
He didn't want anyone
to see the awful Words
along his left forearm.
Growing up in a bad part
of town, it was only
too obvious what
they must mean.
So Denis took care
with his petty crimes,
necessary for survival;
he wouldn't get caught.
He did what he had to
in order to take care of
his mother and his sisters.
He talked with his friends,
giving them encouragement.
When Tyreesha worried that
nobody would ask her to prom,
Denis said, "Jontrell likes you,
he's just trying to work up the guts
to ask you. Go drop your book
in front of him or something."
Tyreesha dropped her book,
and Jontrell picked it up, and
they walked off together.
Then Denis noticed
that the new girl was
staring right at him.
"You are so busted!"
she said, and laughed.
"What?" Denis demanded.
"I haven't done anything."
She blinked, then slowly
turned so he could see,
high on her right shoulder,
the Word What? in brown
against her pale skin where
the spaghetti top straps
left her arms bare.
"I just meant that
your tough image is
busted and you're
secretly a nice guy,"
she said. "Hi, I'm
Livia Fairfax. I just
moved to this school."
"I uh, I'm Denis Broderick
and this is my hometown,"
he stammered. "We, uh, we ..."
Then he did what he never did,
and unbuttoned his left cuff so
he could push up the sleeve.
You are so busted! crawled
all the way up his forearm
in chalk-white letters, now
with a faint metallic sheen.
That glister gave it away --
the soulmark had settled,
meaning that this Livia
must be his soulmate.
Denis wondered why
this had happened.
They seemed to be
nothing alike -- in fact,
this kind of soulbond had
been called a skin bridge
back in slavery days.
Then again, Denis had
heard that soulbonds were
supposed to connect people
based on a good combination
of similarities and differences.
"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry!"
Livia exclaimed. "You must
have felt awful wearing that."
"Yeah," said Denis. "It made
life hard if people saw it, so I
always wear long sleeves."
Then he gave a rueful laugh.
"Turns out that it means
pretty much the opposite
of what I expected, though."
"I'm glad it worked out,"
said Livia. "Mine is
so common that I wear
sleeveless tops so it's
easy for everyone to see,
just in case. But I guess
I didn't need that after all."
"Guess not," said Denis.
"So uh ... you're new here?"
Livia nodded. "My Dad got
a new job, so we moved. I'm
finishing up my senior year of
high school here, and I'm already
accepted at the University of Missouri."
"I'm not really a college guy," Denis said,
wrinkling his nose. "That a problem?"
"No, but why aren't you going to
college?" said Livia. "They have
all kinds of interesting programs. I'll
be in Horticultural Science and Design.
I want to become a florist later on."
"Look at me," Denis said. He waved
a hand at himself. "People see me
and they think thug, not college kid."
"So?" said Livia. "That's their problem.
I bet you could get a scholarship and
find a major you'd love, and that
would really show them."
That was ... incredibly tempting,
actually. Denis thought about it.
"You think so?" he said. "Isn't
it too late to apply by now?"
"Colleges make special allowance
for issues relating to soulbonds,"
Livia pointed out. "We just found
each other, and I'm going to Mizzou,
so they should let you in there too."
"I have no idea what I'd even do
at college," Denis admitted.
"Well, what do you like
to do now?" said Livia.
"What are you good at,
what excites you, or what
would you like to change?"
That last bit snagged
at his attention.
"I hate racism,"
said Denis. "I'd
like to fight that, but
it's not really a job."
"I bet it could be one,"
said Livia. She took out
her smartphone and tapped
the screen, then scrolled.
"See, they've got majors and
minors listed, along with
all kinds of career paths."
Searching for 'justice'
brought up not only
the legal stuff but also
a minor in Social Justice.
"I guess that doesn't suck,"
said Denis. "I'd like to help
other black folks. It's too easy
to stuck in a rut just because
people put you in there."
"Okay, that's a good goal,"
said Livia. "What else would
you need to pursue that?"
Denis stared at her. "How
the fuck would I know?"
"Well, what other things
do you like?" said Livia.
"That might spark ideas."
"Nature, I guess, because
it's quiet," said Denis.
"I feel the same way. I'd
like to add wildflowers to
the usual florist species
for bouquets," said Livia.
"More about black culture
and history, maybe. I could
use some business classes,
but I don't want all business,"
Denis said. "Um, something
about how to keep people
from tearing each other apart?"
"It sounds like you're interested
in a lot of different things that
cluster around activism of
some sort," said Livia.
She fiddled with her phone
again, then said, "Yes! Look
at this. Interdisciplinary studies
lets you pick two or three areas in
Black Studies, Environmental Studies,
Peace Studies, or Women's Studies."
"Okay, I could maybe go with that,"
said Denis. "I mean, enough to look
and see if it's even possible."
"I can help," said Livia. "I don't
know the student counselor here --"
"Lucky you," Denis grumbled.
"-- but I already have an advisor
at Mizzou, so I can ask her about
getting a soulmate accommodation
for you," said Livia. "She's good,
she'll help you pick classes and stuff."
Denis didn't exactly expect much of
college, but then again, he hadn't
expected anything good from
his soulmark and he'd been
dead wrong about that.
He took a deep breath.
"Okay," he said. "Let's
try out this college thing."
Livia gave him a smile
as warm as spring sunshine.
"This is going to be so fun!"
she said. "I can hardly wait."
Denis couldn't wait either.
* * *
Notes:
This poem is long, so its notes appear separately.
You Are So Busted
[Saturday, April 7, 2018]
Denis Broderick always
wore long sleeves, no matter
how hot it got in Missouri.
In spring it was bearable,
at least, which was good.
He didn't want anyone
to see the awful Words
along his left forearm.
Growing up in a bad part
of town, it was only
too obvious what
they must mean.
So Denis took care
with his petty crimes,
necessary for survival;
he wouldn't get caught.
He did what he had to
in order to take care of
his mother and his sisters.
He talked with his friends,
giving them encouragement.
When Tyreesha worried that
nobody would ask her to prom,
Denis said, "Jontrell likes you,
he's just trying to work up the guts
to ask you. Go drop your book
in front of him or something."
Tyreesha dropped her book,
and Jontrell picked it up, and
they walked off together.
Then Denis noticed
that the new girl was
staring right at him.
"You are so busted!"
she said, and laughed.
"What?" Denis demanded.
"I haven't done anything."
She blinked, then slowly
turned so he could see,
high on her right shoulder,
the Word What? in brown
against her pale skin where
the spaghetti top straps
left her arms bare.
"I just meant that
your tough image is
busted and you're
secretly a nice guy,"
she said. "Hi, I'm
Livia Fairfax. I just
moved to this school."
"I uh, I'm Denis Broderick
and this is my hometown,"
he stammered. "We, uh, we ..."
Then he did what he never did,
and unbuttoned his left cuff so
he could push up the sleeve.
You are so busted! crawled
all the way up his forearm
in chalk-white letters, now
with a faint metallic sheen.
That glister gave it away --
the soulmark had settled,
meaning that this Livia
must be his soulmate.
Denis wondered why
this had happened.
They seemed to be
nothing alike -- in fact,
this kind of soulbond had
been called a skin bridge
back in slavery days.
Then again, Denis had
heard that soulbonds were
supposed to connect people
based on a good combination
of similarities and differences.
"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry!"
Livia exclaimed. "You must
have felt awful wearing that."
"Yeah," said Denis. "It made
life hard if people saw it, so I
always wear long sleeves."
Then he gave a rueful laugh.
"Turns out that it means
pretty much the opposite
of what I expected, though."
"I'm glad it worked out,"
said Livia. "Mine is
so common that I wear
sleeveless tops so it's
easy for everyone to see,
just in case. But I guess
I didn't need that after all."
"Guess not," said Denis.
"So uh ... you're new here?"
Livia nodded. "My Dad got
a new job, so we moved. I'm
finishing up my senior year of
high school here, and I'm already
accepted at the University of Missouri."
"I'm not really a college guy," Denis said,
wrinkling his nose. "That a problem?"
"No, but why aren't you going to
college?" said Livia. "They have
all kinds of interesting programs. I'll
be in Horticultural Science and Design.
I want to become a florist later on."
"Look at me," Denis said. He waved
a hand at himself. "People see me
and they think thug, not college kid."
"So?" said Livia. "That's their problem.
I bet you could get a scholarship and
find a major you'd love, and that
would really show them."
That was ... incredibly tempting,
actually. Denis thought about it.
"You think so?" he said. "Isn't
it too late to apply by now?"
"Colleges make special allowance
for issues relating to soulbonds,"
Livia pointed out. "We just found
each other, and I'm going to Mizzou,
so they should let you in there too."
"I have no idea what I'd even do
at college," Denis admitted.
"Well, what do you like
to do now?" said Livia.
"What are you good at,
what excites you, or what
would you like to change?"
That last bit snagged
at his attention.
"I hate racism,"
said Denis. "I'd
like to fight that, but
it's not really a job."
"I bet it could be one,"
said Livia. She took out
her smartphone and tapped
the screen, then scrolled.
"See, they've got majors and
minors listed, along with
all kinds of career paths."
Searching for 'justice'
brought up not only
the legal stuff but also
a minor in Social Justice.
"I guess that doesn't suck,"
said Denis. "I'd like to help
other black folks. It's too easy
to stuck in a rut just because
people put you in there."
"Okay, that's a good goal,"
said Livia. "What else would
you need to pursue that?"
Denis stared at her. "How
the fuck would I know?"
"Well, what other things
do you like?" said Livia.
"That might spark ideas."
"Nature, I guess, because
it's quiet," said Denis.
"I feel the same way. I'd
like to add wildflowers to
the usual florist species
for bouquets," said Livia.
"More about black culture
and history, maybe. I could
use some business classes,
but I don't want all business,"
Denis said. "Um, something
about how to keep people
from tearing each other apart?"
"It sounds like you're interested
in a lot of different things that
cluster around activism of
some sort," said Livia.
She fiddled with her phone
again, then said, "Yes! Look
at this. Interdisciplinary studies
lets you pick two or three areas in
Black Studies, Environmental Studies,
Peace Studies, or Women's Studies."
"Okay, I could maybe go with that,"
said Denis. "I mean, enough to look
and see if it's even possible."
"I can help," said Livia. "I don't
know the student counselor here --"
"Lucky you," Denis grumbled.
"-- but I already have an advisor
at Mizzou, so I can ask her about
getting a soulmate accommodation
for you," said Livia. "She's good,
she'll help you pick classes and stuff."
Denis didn't exactly expect much of
college, but then again, he hadn't
expected anything good from
his soulmark and he'd been
dead wrong about that.
He took a deep breath.
"Okay," he said. "Let's
try out this college thing."
Livia gave him a smile
as warm as spring sunshine.
"This is going to be so fun!"
she said. "I can hardly wait."
Denis couldn't wait either.
* * *
Notes:
This poem is long, so its notes appear separately.
(no subject)
Date: 2024-07-18 11:28 pm (UTC)Well ...
Date: 2024-07-19 12:59 am (UTC)