Poem: "No Fear of Depth"
Sep. 26th, 2022 04:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis poem was written outside the regular prompt calls. It fills the "Mermaids" square in my 8-1-22 card for the Reel Time Bingo fest. It has been sponsored by a pool with ng_moonmoth. This poem belongs to the Officer Pink thread of the Polychrome Heroics series.
Warning: This poem contains intense and controversial topics. Highlight to read the warnings, some of which are spoilers. It includes poaching, dangerous garbage, illegally dumped zetetic materials, messy medical details, body transformation, acquired disability in terrestrial but not aquatic context, creepy men, and other challenges. If these are sensitive issues for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward.
"No Fear of Depth"
[1990-2014]
Even as a girl, Ethelwynn Beverton
loved the water and everything in it.
I must be a mermaid, she thought,
for I have no fear of depth and
a great fear of shallow living.
She hung mermaid posters
on the walls of her bedroom and
wore mermaid-themed clothes.
"She'll grow out of it, all girls do,"
the people said. She didn't.
Instead she grew up to enroll in
the Technical College of New Jutland
where she chose a major in Biology
along with a minor in the Fine Arts.
Ethelwynn loved Missouri and she
spent many happy hours photographing
its natural environments and wildlife.
There were quicksilver streams where
fish flashed in the sun like lost treasure.
There were beautiful dark lakes in which
her thoughts swam about like mermaids.
There were thunderstorms threshing the sky
to foam, sudden and sometimes dangerous.
Best of all Ethelwynn loved the area around
her home, and she soon found projects
studying Table Rock Lake in Branson.
For one of those, she volunteered with
the Branson game warden to document
a fish poaching problem and clean up
the mess of abandoned tackle on
the shores of Table Rock Lake.
One day she got tangled in
a fishing line with zetetic lures.
"Hang on," he urged her.
"I'll get you some help."
By the time the warden got
her to the community clinic
closest to the lake, Ethelwynn
was already unconscious and
having trouble breathing.
She spent several weeks
in the intensive care at
a SPAZMAT facility while
her body slowly changed
itself into a mermaid.
Meanwhile the warden
hunted down the culprit
and prosecuted him for
using lures enhanced
with fish pheromones
and zetetic contaminants.
His efforts helped inspire
Ethelwynn to protect wildlife.
Filled with determination, she
returned to college to finish
her degree in Biology.
She could breathe again,
now in air or in water.
She used a wheelchair,
and she learned to wear
fashionable women's clothes
designed to look good while
seated and not get in the way
of driving a wheelchair.
She really detested
the "old lady" styles
that were too common
in adaptive clothing.
Ethelwynn was only disabled
on dry land, though. In the water,
she could dance rings around
her floundering classmates.
They didn't mind, because
she would tow them faster than
any of them could swim alone.
After graduating, Ethelwynn got
a job as an underwater photographer,
studying Table Rock Lake as well
as making trips to other places.
She saw a side of Missouri that
few other people could see.
So it was her job to show them.
A serious geek, Ethelwynn found
herself repelled by giggling little girls
and smarmy men attracted to mermaids.
They gathered around her, wherever
she went, sometimes following her
and making a nuisance of themselves.
The little girls were easier to shoo away,
but the grown men took more exception.
"She is a mermaid, but approach her
with caution," they warned each other.
"Her mind swims at a depth that
most people would drown in."
Ethelwynn could talk about
aquatic ecosystems for hours,
though, and she did not mind
her fellow scientists geeking out
over the biomechanics of her tail.
After all, she had no fear of depth.
* * *
Notes:
Ethelwynn Beverton -- She has olive skin, brown eyes, and short brown hair. She is a mermaid with a brown-and-white fish tail. Out of the water, she uses a wheelchair. Ethelwynn graduated from the Technical College of New Jutland located in the least-inhabited eastern part of Douglas County, Missouri. She came from Branson and currently lives there. She majored in Biology with a minor in Fine Arts. Now she works as an underwater photographer, studying Table Rock Lake in Branson as well as making trips to other places. Ethelwynne is a serious geek, and repelled both by giggling little girls and smarmy men attracted to mermaids. But she can talk about aquatic ecosystems for hours, and does not mind fellow scientists geeking out over her tail.
Origin: As an undergraduate project, she volunteered with the Branson game warden to document a fish poaching problem and clean up the mess of abandoned tackle around Table Rock Lake. One day she got tangled in a fishing line with zetetic lures attached. By the time the warden got her to the community clinic closest to the lake, she was already unconscious and having trouble breathing. She spent weeks in intensive care at a SPAZMAT facility while her body changed into a mermaid. Meanwhile the warden hunted down the culprit and prosecuted him for using lures enhanced with fish pheromones and zetetic contaminants, which helped inspire her to protect wildlife.
Uniform: Ethelwynn wears fashionable women's clothes designed to look good in a wheelchair. She detests the "old lady" styles too common in adaptive wear.
Qualities: Expert (+4) Aquatic Biologist, Good (+2) Constitution, Good (+2) Geek, Good (+2) Underwater Photographer
Poor (-2) I'm Not THAT Kind of Mermaid!
Powers: Good (+2) Freshwater Mermaid
Motivation: To show people the beauty of underwater life.
Adaptive clothing fits better for women in wheelchairs.
"They were beautiful dark lakes in which her thoughts swam about like mermaids."
-- Hans Christian Andersen
"I must be a Mermaid. I have no fear of depth and a great fear of shallow living."
-- Anias Nin
"She is a mermaid but approach her with caution. Her mind swims at a depth
most would drown in."
-- J. Iron
ng_moonmoth. This poem belongs to the Officer Pink thread of the Polychrome Heroics series.Warning: This poem contains intense and controversial topics. Highlight to read the warnings, some of which are spoilers. It includes poaching, dangerous garbage, illegally dumped zetetic materials, messy medical details, body transformation, acquired disability in terrestrial but not aquatic context, creepy men, and other challenges. If these are sensitive issues for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward.
"No Fear of Depth"
[1990-2014]
Even as a girl, Ethelwynn Beverton
loved the water and everything in it.
I must be a mermaid, she thought,
for I have no fear of depth and
a great fear of shallow living.
She hung mermaid posters
on the walls of her bedroom and
wore mermaid-themed clothes.
"She'll grow out of it, all girls do,"
the people said. She didn't.
Instead she grew up to enroll in
the Technical College of New Jutland
where she chose a major in Biology
along with a minor in the Fine Arts.
Ethelwynn loved Missouri and she
spent many happy hours photographing
its natural environments and wildlife.
There were quicksilver streams where
fish flashed in the sun like lost treasure.
There were beautiful dark lakes in which
her thoughts swam about like mermaids.
There were thunderstorms threshing the sky
to foam, sudden and sometimes dangerous.
Best of all Ethelwynn loved the area around
her home, and she soon found projects
studying Table Rock Lake in Branson.
For one of those, she volunteered with
the Branson game warden to document
a fish poaching problem and clean up
the mess of abandoned tackle on
the shores of Table Rock Lake.
One day she got tangled in
a fishing line with zetetic lures.
"Hang on," he urged her.
"I'll get you some help."
By the time the warden got
her to the community clinic
closest to the lake, Ethelwynn
was already unconscious and
having trouble breathing.
She spent several weeks
in the intensive care at
a SPAZMAT facility while
her body slowly changed
itself into a mermaid.
Meanwhile the warden
hunted down the culprit
and prosecuted him for
using lures enhanced
with fish pheromones
and zetetic contaminants.
His efforts helped inspire
Ethelwynn to protect wildlife.
Filled with determination, she
returned to college to finish
her degree in Biology.
She could breathe again,
now in air or in water.
She used a wheelchair,
and she learned to wear
fashionable women's clothes
designed to look good while
seated and not get in the way
of driving a wheelchair.
She really detested
the "old lady" styles
that were too common
in adaptive clothing.
Ethelwynn was only disabled
on dry land, though. In the water,
she could dance rings around
her floundering classmates.
They didn't mind, because
she would tow them faster than
any of them could swim alone.
After graduating, Ethelwynn got
a job as an underwater photographer,
studying Table Rock Lake as well
as making trips to other places.
She saw a side of Missouri that
few other people could see.
So it was her job to show them.
A serious geek, Ethelwynn found
herself repelled by giggling little girls
and smarmy men attracted to mermaids.
They gathered around her, wherever
she went, sometimes following her
and making a nuisance of themselves.
The little girls were easier to shoo away,
but the grown men took more exception.
"She is a mermaid, but approach her
with caution," they warned each other.
"Her mind swims at a depth that
most people would drown in."
Ethelwynn could talk about
aquatic ecosystems for hours,
though, and she did not mind
her fellow scientists geeking out
over the biomechanics of her tail.
After all, she had no fear of depth.
* * *
Notes:
Ethelwynn Beverton -- She has olive skin, brown eyes, and short brown hair. She is a mermaid with a brown-and-white fish tail. Out of the water, she uses a wheelchair. Ethelwynn graduated from the Technical College of New Jutland located in the least-inhabited eastern part of Douglas County, Missouri. She came from Branson and currently lives there. She majored in Biology with a minor in Fine Arts. Now she works as an underwater photographer, studying Table Rock Lake in Branson as well as making trips to other places. Ethelwynne is a serious geek, and repelled both by giggling little girls and smarmy men attracted to mermaids. But she can talk about aquatic ecosystems for hours, and does not mind fellow scientists geeking out over her tail.
Origin: As an undergraduate project, she volunteered with the Branson game warden to document a fish poaching problem and clean up the mess of abandoned tackle around Table Rock Lake. One day she got tangled in a fishing line with zetetic lures attached. By the time the warden got her to the community clinic closest to the lake, she was already unconscious and having trouble breathing. She spent weeks in intensive care at a SPAZMAT facility while her body changed into a mermaid. Meanwhile the warden hunted down the culprit and prosecuted him for using lures enhanced with fish pheromones and zetetic contaminants, which helped inspire her to protect wildlife.
Uniform: Ethelwynn wears fashionable women's clothes designed to look good in a wheelchair. She detests the "old lady" styles too common in adaptive wear.
Qualities: Expert (+4) Aquatic Biologist, Good (+2) Constitution, Good (+2) Geek, Good (+2) Underwater Photographer
Poor (-2) I'm Not THAT Kind of Mermaid!
Powers: Good (+2) Freshwater Mermaid
Motivation: To show people the beauty of underwater life.
Adaptive clothing fits better for women in wheelchairs.
"They were beautiful dark lakes in which her thoughts swam about like mermaids."
-- Hans Christian Andersen
"I must be a Mermaid. I have no fear of depth and a great fear of shallow living."
-- Anias Nin
"She is a mermaid but approach her with caution. Her mind swims at a depth
most would drown in."
-- J. Iron
(no subject)
Date: 2022-09-26 10:44 pm (UTC)...and really, quite a lot of your work on the theme of being transformed, and finding yourself again.
Thoughts
Date: 2022-09-27 07:38 am (UTC)Yay! :D I'm happy to hear that.
>> ...and really, quite a lot of your work on the theme of being transformed, and finding yourself again.<<
Thank you. Those are favorite themes.
Even though I'm morphlocked in my current body, I still remember shapeshifting, its challenges and rewards. That's handy for stories like this.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-09-27 05:41 am (UTC)Aww ...
Date: 2022-09-27 06:33 am (UTC)Re: Aww ...
Date: 2022-09-27 09:23 pm (UTC)Re: Aww ...
Date: 2022-10-01 02:02 am (UTC)