Poem: "Beautiful, Functional Objects"
Apr. 22nd, 2023 12:42 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis poem is spillover from the March 7, 2023 Poetry Fishbowl. it was prompted and sponsored by Anthony Barrette. It also fills the "National Foreign Language Month" square in my 3-1-23 card for the March Is... Bingo fest. This poem belongs to the Rutledge thread of the Polychrome Heroics series.
"Beautiful, Functional Objects"
[June 2015]
Summer brought
two new woodworkers
moving to Rutledge.
Kitt Beaulieu had spent
his childhood in Vermont,
but as a tween his family
moved to Onion City in
hope of finding better jobs.
There he got an Associate in
Applied Science: Computer
Information Systems with
an Advanced Certificate in
Computer Numeric Control
Machining as well as a Basic
Certificate in Entrepreneurship
at City Colleges of Chicago
located in Onion City, Illinois.
After graduating from college,
Kitt moved back to Vermont.
Katherine "Kat" Goto grew up
in Winooski, Vermont as a part of
the greater Burlington metropolitan area.
There, city life encouraged her interest
in small pets such as housecats.
She earned a Bachelor of Science in
Industrial Design -- Furniture Design
Concentration along with minors
in Animal Studies and in Arabic
at Appalachian State University
in Boone, North Carolina.
After college, she wanted
to live somewhere less urban.
Both of them applied to
the Business Incubator.
"Two more woodworkers?"
said Labib. "We already have
several members in that field.
We need to avoid creating
too much competition."
"Let's see, from back before
the Business Incubator we had
me, the folks in Woodwerx, and
Drishti at Emerald Mountain Glen,"
said Oscar. "After that, we added
Jocelyn Wright with tabletop games,
Kylemore O'Leary on handcarved doors,
and Ashley Zager for fine art sculptures."
"Kitt and Kat both make pet furniture,"
Labib argued. "That's direct competition,
so I don't think we should back both of them."
"How direct?" Oscar wondered. "Kitt, could
you show us what you're making, please?"
"Well, I started with the Kitt-E-Kube,"
said Kitt. "It's a cardboard box that has
a large hole on two sides, medium holes
on one side, small holes on one side, and
the last two solid. You can stack them
to make tables, dressers, and such --
especially with a board for the top.
They're cheap and a best-seller."
"I can see why cats would love them,"
Oscar said, looking at the pictures that
Kitt brought up on his tablet computer.
"Then after I learned CNC, I added
the Kat Stax line," Kitt went on. "There
are round and rectangular cat beds, plus
the fish-shaped one. The treat puzzle
offers different levels of challenge.
My most popular large item is
the two-species rocking chair."
"That is charming," Labib said.
Its legs curled under to create
a cat bed inside the bottom.
"Kat, what things do you
make?" Oscar asked her.
"I started out with furniture
for two species," Kat said,
turning on her tablet computer.
"I've got a pole desk that has
cat shelves and another desk
with ramps and holes. Then
there's a dining room set with
a peekaboo table, benches,
a cat tree, and nesting seats."
"That looks a bit fancier than
what Kitt makes," said Oscar.
"Yes, I lean toward the high end
of the market," said Kat. "I even
designed an underbed maze with
end tables, which is very popular.
Then my clients asked me for
cat-specific furniture and I got
into the wall and ceiling sets."
She had a whole catalog for that,
and Oscar paged through, impressed.
Cylindrical steps or flat stairs, both
wrapped in sisal, provided a way up.
So did climbing poles, which could be
positioned vertically, horizontally, or
at any angle using various hardware.
Natural branches were usually covered
in sisal too, alone or with other things
attached to them like various beds.
There were shelves in all shapes and
sizes, some with railings like balconies.
One even had a feeding station on it.
There were beds made of woven baskets,
and hammocks in round and square shapes.
Flexible rope bridges or rigid catwalks
connected the different elements,
sometimes linked by connectors
such as boxes or round platforms,
other times with mounting steps
instead of a direct connection.
Some parts were even clear, like
the bowl beds and the tunnels
inside of the connecting rings.
"That's the ultimate kitty playground,"
Oscar said. "They must love that."
"It's vary popular, and because it's
also modular, it's more affordable than
most of my work," said Kat. "I sell these
as single modules or in kits of various sizes."
"Interesting," Labib said, looking at the prices.
"They don't actually have as much overlap
as I expected. The high end of Kitt's work
barely overlaps the low end of Kat's work."
"I'd like to hear your philosophy," said Oscar.
"Kat, what drew you to this kind of craft?"
"Woodworking matters." she said. "It’s more
than a pastime or hobby -- being a woodworker
means that you know the satisfaction and pride
that comes from using your hands and mind
to build beautiful, functional objects, and you’re
as interested in the process as the outcome."
Kitt nodded. "Amid the speed and chaos
of the modern world, woodworking gives us
a place where we can slow down, pay attention,
and take the time to do things right. I might work
in cardboard and plywood, but I still care about
getting the details right, from code to finish."
Labib sighed. "They both sound good,"
he admitted. "It's a difficult choice."
"Well, what about foreign languages
as a tiebreaker?" Oscar proposed.
"Kat, what languages do you know?"
"I grew up speaking English and
Japanese, then took a minor in
Arabic at college," she said.
"Oh, that's useful," Labib agreed.
"We need more Arabic speakers,
because not all of our refugees
can speak English fluently."
"Kitt, what about you?"
Oscar said, turning to her.
"I speak English, French,
and Polish," Kitt replied.
Labib threw up his hands.
"All right, we can accept
both of them, but they'll
have to split the grant."
"Why not let them compete
for three months and then
see who comes out on top?"
Oscar said. "By then they
should have some idea who's
doing better or if this market
can support both of them."
"That's fair, and it's also
good business," said Labib.
"Kitt, Kat, does this offer
work for you?" Oscar asked.
They eyed each other like
two cats on a fence.
Then they both nodded.
"That's a plan," said Labib.
"Welcome to Rutledge and
the Business Incubator."
"Try not to let the fur fly,"
Oscar added dryly.
* * *
Notes:
This poem is long, so its character and content notes appear separately.
"Beautiful, Functional Objects"
[June 2015]
Summer brought
two new woodworkers
moving to Rutledge.
Kitt Beaulieu had spent
his childhood in Vermont,
but as a tween his family
moved to Onion City in
hope of finding better jobs.
There he got an Associate in
Applied Science: Computer
Information Systems with
an Advanced Certificate in
Computer Numeric Control
Machining as well as a Basic
Certificate in Entrepreneurship
at City Colleges of Chicago
located in Onion City, Illinois.
After graduating from college,
Kitt moved back to Vermont.
Katherine "Kat" Goto grew up
in Winooski, Vermont as a part of
the greater Burlington metropolitan area.
There, city life encouraged her interest
in small pets such as housecats.
She earned a Bachelor of Science in
Industrial Design -- Furniture Design
Concentration along with minors
in Animal Studies and in Arabic
at Appalachian State University
in Boone, North Carolina.
After college, she wanted
to live somewhere less urban.
Both of them applied to
the Business Incubator.
"Two more woodworkers?"
said Labib. "We already have
several members in that field.
We need to avoid creating
too much competition."
"Let's see, from back before
the Business Incubator we had
me, the folks in Woodwerx, and
Drishti at Emerald Mountain Glen,"
said Oscar. "After that, we added
Jocelyn Wright with tabletop games,
Kylemore O'Leary on handcarved doors,
and Ashley Zager for fine art sculptures."
"Kitt and Kat both make pet furniture,"
Labib argued. "That's direct competition,
so I don't think we should back both of them."
"How direct?" Oscar wondered. "Kitt, could
you show us what you're making, please?"
"Well, I started with the Kitt-E-Kube,"
said Kitt. "It's a cardboard box that has
a large hole on two sides, medium holes
on one side, small holes on one side, and
the last two solid. You can stack them
to make tables, dressers, and such --
especially with a board for the top.
They're cheap and a best-seller."
"I can see why cats would love them,"
Oscar said, looking at the pictures that
Kitt brought up on his tablet computer.
"Then after I learned CNC, I added
the Kat Stax line," Kitt went on. "There
are round and rectangular cat beds, plus
the fish-shaped one. The treat puzzle
offers different levels of challenge.
My most popular large item is
the two-species rocking chair."
"That is charming," Labib said.
Its legs curled under to create
a cat bed inside the bottom.
"Kat, what things do you
make?" Oscar asked her.
"I started out with furniture
for two species," Kat said,
turning on her tablet computer.
"I've got a pole desk that has
cat shelves and another desk
with ramps and holes. Then
there's a dining room set with
a peekaboo table, benches,
a cat tree, and nesting seats."
"That looks a bit fancier than
what Kitt makes," said Oscar.
"Yes, I lean toward the high end
of the market," said Kat. "I even
designed an underbed maze with
end tables, which is very popular.
Then my clients asked me for
cat-specific furniture and I got
into the wall and ceiling sets."
She had a whole catalog for that,
and Oscar paged through, impressed.
Cylindrical steps or flat stairs, both
wrapped in sisal, provided a way up.
So did climbing poles, which could be
positioned vertically, horizontally, or
at any angle using various hardware.
Natural branches were usually covered
in sisal too, alone or with other things
attached to them like various beds.
There were shelves in all shapes and
sizes, some with railings like balconies.
One even had a feeding station on it.
There were beds made of woven baskets,
and hammocks in round and square shapes.
Flexible rope bridges or rigid catwalks
connected the different elements,
sometimes linked by connectors
such as boxes or round platforms,
other times with mounting steps
instead of a direct connection.
Some parts were even clear, like
the bowl beds and the tunnels
inside of the connecting rings.
"That's the ultimate kitty playground,"
Oscar said. "They must love that."
"It's vary popular, and because it's
also modular, it's more affordable than
most of my work," said Kat. "I sell these
as single modules or in kits of various sizes."
"Interesting," Labib said, looking at the prices.
"They don't actually have as much overlap
as I expected. The high end of Kitt's work
barely overlaps the low end of Kat's work."
"I'd like to hear your philosophy," said Oscar.
"Kat, what drew you to this kind of craft?"
"Woodworking matters." she said. "It’s more
than a pastime or hobby -- being a woodworker
means that you know the satisfaction and pride
that comes from using your hands and mind
to build beautiful, functional objects, and you’re
as interested in the process as the outcome."
Kitt nodded. "Amid the speed and chaos
of the modern world, woodworking gives us
a place where we can slow down, pay attention,
and take the time to do things right. I might work
in cardboard and plywood, but I still care about
getting the details right, from code to finish."
Labib sighed. "They both sound good,"
he admitted. "It's a difficult choice."
"Well, what about foreign languages
as a tiebreaker?" Oscar proposed.
"Kat, what languages do you know?"
"I grew up speaking English and
Japanese, then took a minor in
Arabic at college," she said.
"Oh, that's useful," Labib agreed.
"We need more Arabic speakers,
because not all of our refugees
can speak English fluently."
"Kitt, what about you?"
Oscar said, turning to her.
"I speak English, French,
and Polish," Kitt replied.
Labib threw up his hands.
"All right, we can accept
both of them, but they'll
have to split the grant."
"Why not let them compete
for three months and then
see who comes out on top?"
Oscar said. "By then they
should have some idea who's
doing better or if this market
can support both of them."
"That's fair, and it's also
good business," said Labib.
"Kitt, Kat, does this offer
work for you?" Oscar asked.
They eyed each other like
two cats on a fence.
Then they both nodded.
"That's a plan," said Labib.
"Welcome to Rutledge and
the Business Incubator."
"Try not to let the fur fly,"
Oscar added dryly.
* * *
Notes:
This poem is long, so its character and content notes appear separately.
(no subject)
Date: 2023-04-22 07:01 am (UTC)I predict those two will end up working together... and everyone will benefit!
(no subject)
Date: 2023-04-22 07:48 am (UTC)And how about cat-furniture-like play furniture for children, or even for agile adults?
Thoughts
Date: 2023-04-22 08:27 am (UTC)This is true.
>> Introduce her to Shiv.<<
LOL yes, that would make an awesome prompt. He's in Rutledge occasionally, tagging along with Zipper.
>> And how about cat-furniture-like play furniture for children, or even for agile adults? <<
That would work.
Come to think of it, some of my relatives had a small cube table that was black and white with circles out out of all the sides. I never did stop crawling through that thing.
Also something you could prompt for.
*laugh*
Date: 2023-04-22 08:28 am (UTC)Todays quote!
Date: 2023-04-28 07:12 pm (UTC)admit impedimemt. . .
- Flavia(bv97045)