Poem: "Everything Is Temporary"

[ysabetwordsmith]

This poem was written for Prompt 6: Hyacinth / Bonus Prompt Yellow Rose in the sunshine_challenge. It also fills the "flare" square of my 7-1-23 card for the Fireworks Bingo fest. It belongs to the series Eloquent Souls.


"Everything Is Temporary"

[Friday, July 21, 2023]

Bowen Meliton pedaled along
the wide multipurpose path that
ran between the beach and road,
enjoying the Los Angeles sun that
bleached his blond hair even lighter.

He was enjoying a summer of freedom
after graduating from college with a major
in Marriage & Family Studies. He was
slated to start a master's degree in
Social Psychology come fall.

His afternoon was interrupted by
a problem with his bicycle, which
had developed a grating sound
that got worse and worse.

Probably sand or gravel
had gotten somewhere
they really didn't belong.

Bowen dismounted and
walked his bike, looking for
a public tool station where
he could fix the issue.

Instead, he spotted
something even better:
a bicycle propped up
with a sign that read,
Mobile Repair Unit
manned by a cute guy.

Grinning, Bowen rolled
his bike to the curb and
dropped the kickstand.

He was about to introduce
himself when he noticed
the hyacinth on the man's leg.

Instead of sprouting from
grass or even a pot, the bulb
lay bare with its roots dangling,
an unsettling image at best.

"Uprooted?" Bowen said.

The man just shrugged.
"Everything is temporary."

Bowen felt the flare of energy
along his arm as his soulmark
settled, fresh glister brightening
the petals of the yellow rose that
bloomed alongside those Words.

He ran a fond hand over them
and replied, "Actually, this was
the motivation for my college major.
With Words like these, I decided
that I needed to study permanence
and security in relationships."

"Really?" the other man said.
"Why would you do that?"

"Well, I thought they probably
meant you hadn't gotten much of
those things," said Bowen. "I've
loved you since I was fourteen,
so I wanted to make you feel
happy and safe with me."

The other man's jaw dropped.
"What the hell, dude?" he said.
"Ain't nobody ever put in any kind
of effort for me, I ain't worth it. I'm
just a bother to everyone around."

"I've always found you to be
an inspiration, not a bother,"
Bowen said firmly. "I'm sorry
others haven't appreciated you."

"My parents were migrant workers,
and then I was in foster care, so
you know, that's just how it goes.
I'm Jacinto Mosley," he said.

"Bowen Meliton," he replied.
"I'll be starting at the University
of California-Los Angeles in fall.
I was enjoying my summer off
when my bike went out on me."

"Yeah?" Jacinto said, perking up.
"Let's have a look. I love tinkering
with things, I bet I can fix it for you."

Bowen rolled the bike a little
to demonstrate the grating noise.

"Sounds like you got grit in there
somewhere," said Jacinto. "We can
break it down a bit, clean it up, lube it,
and that should solve the problem."

They hoisted the bike up onto
the portable repair rack, then
started taking off pieces so
they could reach the gears.

Working on the bike together
felt comfortable, a warm flare
of familiarity, as if they had
done it many times before.

Jacinto hummed a little
under his breath as he
worked, nimble hands
spinning the tools that
flashed in the sunlight.

Bowen was charmed by
his grace and competence,
even if Jacinto seemed
to have little regard
for his own worth.

Well, that was fixable
too, if more complicated
than cleaning a bike.

Bowen would just have
to make allowances for
Jacinto's difficult past,
and be gentle with him,
but he had expected
something like that.

Once they got the grit
out of the way, the gears
turned quietly like they
were supposed to do.

Bowen checked the list
of prices and paid Jacinto.

"Thanks for the help,"
Bowen said. Then he
dared to trace a fingertip
along the hyacinth. "Have
you ever thought about
putting down roots?"

Jacinto shook his head.
"Seems like a bad idea,"
he said. "Nobody really
wants me around unless
somethin's broke."

"I want you around,"
said Bowen. "I would
like to explore some of
our possibilities, at least."

"I don't know," Jacinto said.
"I don't have the skills for that."

"That's okay," said Bowen. "I
brought enough for both of us."

One corner of Jacinto's mouth
turned up. "I guess you did."

"Sometimes a soulmark is
just a way to tell when you've
found the right one," said Bowen.
"Other times, it gives you an idea
of where to go to get there."

"I'm still not sure that I could
make this work," said Jacinto.
"I've never had a relationship
last more than a few months."

"I'd call this a pretty strong hint
that we fit," Bowen said, tracing
his own soulmark. "But I hear that
you feel out of your depth. That's okay.
We could take it slow, and give you
time to get your feet under you."

"Yeah," Jacinto said, licking
his lips. "We could try that."

Bowen grinned over
the flare of acceptance.

Best. Summer. Ever.

* * *

Notes:

This poem is long, so its notes appear separately.
 

Comments

[cornerofmadness]

I really liked how that image of the bared bulb lead to such a deep and contrasting conversation about how he is seen

Thank you!

[ysabetwordsmith]

I'm glad that worked for you. It's just such an odd image, the hyacinth with its bare bulb and dangling roots. It helps that Bowen had a bit of advance notice from his soulmark and thus had the skills to respond well.

Re: Thank you!

[cornerofmadness]

Oh that's interesting.

[enemytosleep]

I've enjoyed how different each conversation goes in this series, but how easily they all feel. You've really captured that soulmate/perfect fit vibe.

Thank you!

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> I've enjoyed how different each conversation goes in this series, but how easily they all feel. <<

Yay! That's what I was aiming for. I wanted to show the variety, how a connection between two people can take many different forms depending on what they need.

>> You've really captured that soulmate/perfect fit vibe.<<

:D Sometimes from the outside it looks like it would never work, and yet the people fit together just right on the inside.

Re: Thank you!

[see_also_friend]

>>:D Sometimes from the outside it looks like it would never work, and yet the people fit together just right on the inside.<

Sometimes the insides match perfectly, even if the wrapping makes all the observers tilt their heads and go WTF?

Or to quote William Penn:
"The humble, meek, merciful, and just are everywhere of one religion; and when death has taken off the mask they will know one another, though the diverse liveries they wear here make them strangers."
http://www.picturequotes.com/the-humble-meek-merciful-and-just-are-everywhere-of-one-religion-and-when-death-has-taken-off-the-quote-456154

Re: Thank you!

[ysabetwordsmith]

Death, hell, they can do it live on the battlefield, and it's a known failure mode of warfare. Say you've got a long war going with entrenched, facing positions. In order to maintain the heat of battle, you have to rotate the troops posted at each location. Otherwise the doves will coax the hawks into an impromptu, localized agreement in which they purport to continue conflict but actually don't aim to hurt each other seriously, because that way they both have a higher survival rate. They'll get together to rescue any wounded, they'll throw a damn Christmas party together.

Historical references exist for various wars. I hit a reference to this on a book about the mathematical and sociological implications of the The Prisoner's Dilemma and peacemaking.

Re: Thank you!

[see_also_friend]

Sounds like an interesting book. The World Until Yesterday references hunter-gatherer warfare...which unlike modern-civilized warfare tends to involve the combatants knowing each other and each other's families (by reputation, if nothing else.)

I may occasionally do this accidentally, but not in warfare. (I was raised by egalitarian pacifists, and tend to attune to personalities and shared values to a significantly greater degree than I think most people do.)

Re: Thank you!

[ysabetwordsmith]

I think it was this:

https://www.amazon.com/Evolution-Cooperation-Revised-Robert-Axelrod/dp/0465005640

Re: Thank you!

[see_also_friend]

Thanks.

[see_also_friend]

Well, Bowen is certainly a catch. :)

Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

I think so. But Jacinto is a survivor, and I admire that too.

Re: Yes ...

[see_also_friend]

If they are matched they both have good traits.

acinto... I bet he's good at fixing stuff, and getting stuff done. I'd eventually be interested in that, if I knew them both in Real Life.

I'm just latching on to the very nice emotional labor skills, as they are the most interesting and immediately noticeable (to me, anyway) trait between the two of them.

Re: Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> If they are matched they both have good traits.<<

True.

>>Jacinto... I bet he's good at fixing stuff, and getting stuff done. I'd eventually be interested in that, if I knew them both in Real Life.<<

He really is. He's a handyman / odd jobber. Bike repair is just one of many skills.

>> I'm just latching on to the very nice emotional labor skills, as they are the most interesting and immediately noticeable (to me, anyway) trait between the two of them.<<

Sooth. I'm glad you liked that.

Re: Yes ...

[see_also_friend]

>>Sooth. I'm glad you liked that.<<

People like that are very good to have around.

Re: Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

We need more people like that.