Poem: "Ripples with No Logical End"
Nov. 8th, 2023 05:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis poem came out of the November 7, 2023 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from librarygeek and siliconshaman. It also fills the "Ripples" square in my 11-1-23 card for the Drabble Fest Bingo. This poem has been sponsored by librarygeek. It belongs to the Big One thread of the Polychrome Heroics series. These characters first appeared in "Everything I Dream Of," so reading that first will make more sense of this one.
"Ripples with No Logical End"
[Autumn 2016]
In the months after the Big One,
the Hama no Tami prospered.
Ayumi used her knowledge of
fishing and seafood to preserve
what they foraged so that it
could be carried inland.
Since many aid packages
came in reusable containers,
she broke down huge bags
of beans into smaller portions
with dried shrimp or fish, and
rice with dried seaweed, along
with salt and other seasonings.
Then you could just dump them
into a pot to soak overnight,
and cook in the morning.
Kaisa learned to salvage
intact bottles and cans along
with her usual beachcombing.
She made wind chimes and
mobiles to cheer people up.
She also made practical things
such as fishing lures and hooks.
These they could also trade inland
since people fished in rivers too.
Miwung leaned on tribal contacts in
the Cher-Ae Heights Indian Community,
negotiating between individuals and
groups for purposes of trade.
Ey also read the ocean's moods
and advised how to work with them.
As time went on, though, they
realized that their little shack on
the beach was not an ideal place
for them to spend the winter.
The stormy season would
bring high winds and rain
and great thundering waves.
So Miwung spoke with the tribe
about what they could do.
It turned out that the tribe had
plenty of damaged buildings
they could salvage for materials.
The government had been buying out
the property of people who wished
to leave the coast, then consolidating
that and handing it off to others who
were willing to brave the conditions
and look after what remained.
So the tribe had gained a lot of
new land, and they were happy
for help with cleaning up the mess.
Hama no Mura, or Beach Village,
grew beyond its single shack.
They hauled their materials
up the slope and over the ridge,
where they built two tiny houses
on the eastern side of the hill.
Each one had a living area
whose east-facing wall was
mostly glass and whose back
nestled into the sheltering earth.
There was a well, powered by
solar panels, but they installed
composting toilets to save water.
A tiny woodstove provided heat
along with what came in the windows.
Sleeping lofts offered overhead space,
but they also had some roll-up futons that
could be kept in cabinets during the day
and then made into guest beds at night.
Although many people had left the coast,
others stayed to rebuild, and traders
now walked up and down the trails.
The Hama no Tami, or Beach People,
helped those who needed a place
to sleep for the night or somewhere
they could lay out items for trade.
"Remember there's no such thing as
a small act of kindness," Miwung said
to Kaisa as they swept clear a space
for several traders to work. "Every act
creates ripples with no logical end."
"What good will that do, when
our little village is so small and
out of the way now?" said Kaisa.
"I used to think that, but now I
know better," Miwung explained.
"I realized that even big waves
start with small ripples."
* * *
Notes:
"Remember there's no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end."
-- Scott Adams
"I realized that even big waves start with small ripples."
-- Adam Braun
The beach house includes a deck facing the water. Inside is a kitchen-dining area, bathroom, master bedroom, and bunkroom. While convenient to the beach, it is more exposed than ideal for the stormy season.
The Hama no Tami started with a small, rustic beach cabin which works great for the warm season. However, they decided that they wanted more protection from the colder, stormy season. With help from the tribe, they salvaged materials from damaged buildings and constructed two small houses built into the side of a hill facing east, with their backs to the prevailing western wind. The same slope prevents flooding during heavy rains. These houses are off-grid with solar panels providing a very modest amount of power for things like pumping water from a well for the showers and sinks. Composing toilets minimize the need for water and power.
The houses are tucked the side of a hill, hidden in spaces between the trees, so they blend into the landscape that shelters them from harsh weather.
Here you can see the east-facing glass wall with north and south windows in the upper house. It provides considerable heating from passive solar in winter, and is shaded by deciduous trees in summer. A stone path leads toward the upper house and its door.
Both houses have a living roof planted with native species. Here the upper house looks down on the roof of the lower house. The lower house has a stone path leading to its side door.
See the floor plans and cross-sections of the hill houses.
The upper house has a kitchen that also serves as an art studio. A corner woodstove provides heat. Note that the fan on top of the stove is not electric but rather thermal. Heat transfers through its metal parts at different rates, causing the blades to spin. The bathroom includes a shower, a sink, and a composting toilet. Upstairs is a small sleeping loft.
The lower house has a large open space good for yoga and other activities. A tiny kitchenette has a woodstove and stairs going up to the sleeping loft. The bathroom includes a sink, a composting toilet, and a shower.
Beach crafts include mobiles and wind chimes made from such materials as driftwood, sea glass, and shells. These can improve mood through pleasant sounds and motion.
You can make fishing lures from many things such as bottlecaps or aluminum cans. You can also make hooks from things such as wire, nails, or can tabs. T-America has much less litter than here, but you can still scavenge for lost fishing equipment too.
Browse Humboldt County weather around the year. Late fall through early spring is the stormy season.
librarygeek and siliconshaman. It also fills the "Ripples" square in my 11-1-23 card for the Drabble Fest Bingo. This poem has been sponsored by librarygeek. It belongs to the Big One thread of the Polychrome Heroics series. These characters first appeared in "Everything I Dream Of," so reading that first will make more sense of this one."Ripples with No Logical End"
[Autumn 2016]
In the months after the Big One,
the Hama no Tami prospered.
Ayumi used her knowledge of
fishing and seafood to preserve
what they foraged so that it
could be carried inland.
Since many aid packages
came in reusable containers,
she broke down huge bags
of beans into smaller portions
with dried shrimp or fish, and
rice with dried seaweed, along
with salt and other seasonings.
Then you could just dump them
into a pot to soak overnight,
and cook in the morning.
Kaisa learned to salvage
intact bottles and cans along
with her usual beachcombing.
She made wind chimes and
mobiles to cheer people up.
She also made practical things
such as fishing lures and hooks.
These they could also trade inland
since people fished in rivers too.
Miwung leaned on tribal contacts in
the Cher-Ae Heights Indian Community,
negotiating between individuals and
groups for purposes of trade.
Ey also read the ocean's moods
and advised how to work with them.
As time went on, though, they
realized that their little shack on
the beach was not an ideal place
for them to spend the winter.
The stormy season would
bring high winds and rain
and great thundering waves.
So Miwung spoke with the tribe
about what they could do.
It turned out that the tribe had
plenty of damaged buildings
they could salvage for materials.
The government had been buying out
the property of people who wished
to leave the coast, then consolidating
that and handing it off to others who
were willing to brave the conditions
and look after what remained.
So the tribe had gained a lot of
new land, and they were happy
for help with cleaning up the mess.
Hama no Mura, or Beach Village,
grew beyond its single shack.
They hauled their materials
up the slope and over the ridge,
where they built two tiny houses
on the eastern side of the hill.
Each one had a living area
whose east-facing wall was
mostly glass and whose back
nestled into the sheltering earth.
There was a well, powered by
solar panels, but they installed
composting toilets to save water.
A tiny woodstove provided heat
along with what came in the windows.
Sleeping lofts offered overhead space,
but they also had some roll-up futons that
could be kept in cabinets during the day
and then made into guest beds at night.
Although many people had left the coast,
others stayed to rebuild, and traders
now walked up and down the trails.
The Hama no Tami, or Beach People,
helped those who needed a place
to sleep for the night or somewhere
they could lay out items for trade.
"Remember there's no such thing as
a small act of kindness," Miwung said
to Kaisa as they swept clear a space
for several traders to work. "Every act
creates ripples with no logical end."
"What good will that do, when
our little village is so small and
out of the way now?" said Kaisa.
"I used to think that, but now I
know better," Miwung explained.
"I realized that even big waves
start with small ripples."
* * *
Notes:
"Remember there's no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end."
-- Scott Adams
"I realized that even big waves start with small ripples."
-- Adam Braun
The beach house includes a deck facing the water. Inside is a kitchen-dining area, bathroom, master bedroom, and bunkroom. While convenient to the beach, it is more exposed than ideal for the stormy season.
The Hama no Tami started with a small, rustic beach cabin which works great for the warm season. However, they decided that they wanted more protection from the colder, stormy season. With help from the tribe, they salvaged materials from damaged buildings and constructed two small houses built into the side of a hill facing east, with their backs to the prevailing western wind. The same slope prevents flooding during heavy rains. These houses are off-grid with solar panels providing a very modest amount of power for things like pumping water from a well for the showers and sinks. Composing toilets minimize the need for water and power.
The houses are tucked the side of a hill, hidden in spaces between the trees, so they blend into the landscape that shelters them from harsh weather.
Here you can see the east-facing glass wall with north and south windows in the upper house. It provides considerable heating from passive solar in winter, and is shaded by deciduous trees in summer. A stone path leads toward the upper house and its door.
Both houses have a living roof planted with native species. Here the upper house looks down on the roof of the lower house. The lower house has a stone path leading to its side door.
See the floor plans and cross-sections of the hill houses.
The upper house has a kitchen that also serves as an art studio. A corner woodstove provides heat. Note that the fan on top of the stove is not electric but rather thermal. Heat transfers through its metal parts at different rates, causing the blades to spin. The bathroom includes a shower, a sink, and a composting toilet. Upstairs is a small sleeping loft.
The lower house has a large open space good for yoga and other activities. A tiny kitchenette has a woodstove and stairs going up to the sleeping loft. The bathroom includes a sink, a composting toilet, and a shower.
Beach crafts include mobiles and wind chimes made from such materials as driftwood, sea glass, and shells. These can improve mood through pleasant sounds and motion.
You can make fishing lures from many things such as bottlecaps or aluminum cans. You can also make hooks from things such as wire, nails, or can tabs. T-America has much less litter than here, but you can still scavenge for lost fishing equipment too.
Browse Humboldt County weather around the year. Late fall through early spring is the stormy season.
(no subject)
Date: 2023-11-09 01:59 am (UTC)"In the midst of such anger, destruction, and danger,
The storm's even beautiful in its own way!"
I would figure out the possibility of tsunamis before building a house with a window facing out to sea.
Thoughts
Date: 2023-11-09 02:17 am (UTC)I like storms, but I prefer to watch thunderstorms from indoors. Lightning is hot and the body I am wearing is a bag of mostly water. I don't mind going out in drizzle though.
>>I would figure out the possibility of tsunamis before building a house with a window facing out to sea.<<
Then you are not an idiot, which puts you ahead of most coastal residents. When I was researching the Big One, I found several towns built entirely on sandspits. WTF were they thinking? So of course, not only are those locations vulnerable to tsunamis, they liquify in an earthquake. Said towns therefore slid into the ocean during the Big One. Frankly: Darwin Award.
Look closely at the original beach shack. You can just barely see that it's up above the sand part of the beach on a low bluff. That's going to be outside of tsunami range. T-America is more careful than here, but still some of theirs were built low.
Here? It's perfectly legal to put hotels, schools, hospitals, retirement homes, etc. in the kill zone for tsunamis and have no evacuation tower or other effective safety precautions. Sooner or later, that's going to kill a lot of people. Fortunately America has them to spare.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2023-11-09 06:55 am (UTC)Re: Thoughts
Date: 2023-11-09 07:03 am (UTC)Re: Thoughts
Date: 2023-11-09 07:58 am (UTC)Re: Thoughts
Date: 2023-11-09 08:50 am (UTC)Re: Thoughts
Date: 2023-11-09 08:51 am (UTC)Re: Thoughts
Date: 2023-11-09 12:34 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2023-11-09 08:20 pm (UTC)I've mostly been lurking lately but I wanted to pop in and say how much I liked this and "Everything I Dream Of".
Thank you!
Date: 2023-11-09 08:50 pm (UTC)I really enjoy exploring the people who gained superpowers during or after the Big One. There's a wide variety, but several notable clusters. It was fun getting to focus on the Hama no Tami here.