Poem: "Not a Destination, But a Process"
Nov. 27th, 2024 04:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis poem is spillover from the March 5, 2024 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from fuzzyred and chanter1944. It also fills the "Day Job" square in my 3-1-24 card for the National Crafting Month Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred. It belongs to the Shiv thread of the Polychrome Heroics series. It follows "Conscious of the Injustice" so read that first or this won't make much sense.
"Not a Destination, But a Process"
Liberty could hardly
believe her luck.
She had just gotten
into Omaha when she
met someone who had
helped her get a day job.
Shiv was a little weird,
sure, but he was solid --
and he didn't try to grab
her anywhere rude, so
that was even better.
Liberty was starting off as
an all-purpose cleaning girl,
since she already knew how
to mop and wash dishes.
That'd earn minimum wage,
which was enough to afford
a decent apartment, if she
could get some fake ID.
Meanwhile, Liberty was
set to couchsurf with
one of the waitresses.
She wouldn't be stuck with
cleanup work forever, though,
not if she wanted to learn more.
Cook had offered to teach her
actual cooking skills -- not just
recipes, but things like how
to use a knife so the slices
came out all the same size.
Liberty had pounced on that,
because job skills were valuable.
Right now, Shiv was showing her
how to fold napkins for the tables.
He had a binder with pictures of
the finished folds and lists of steps.
"See, napkins are cheap, and it don't
cost anything to fold 'em fancy, but it
makes the place look nicer," Shiv said.
"So we got the easy ones for every day,
the fancy ones for stuff like weddings,
and then all of the holiday styles."
"Bunny ears," Liberty said,
tracing the shape on the page.
"Yeah, them's for Easter,"
Shiv said. "We got flowers
too, and watermelon for
Juneteenth, a turkey for
Thanksgiving, and so on."
Liberty had to admit that they
looked cute, even if she wasn't
sure that she could fold them.
Then Shiv's head popped up,
and Liberty heard footsteps.
Coming toward them was
was a mousy-looking white guy
dressed in a woman's sweater
embroidered with sunflowers
and poppies, daisies and yarrow.
It even had a bunch of pudgy bees,
their tiny wings done in some sort
of shimmery thread that made it
look like they could really fly.
It was the silliest thing that
Liberty had ever seen, but
she wanted to touch it anyway.
Shiv bounded over and rubbed
himself along it like a big ol' cat.
"Hey, Dr. G," he said, grinning.
"Hello, Shiv," said Dr. G.
"Boss White thought that
someone here could use
a sympathetic ear."
"Ah yeah, Liberty's had
a bit of a hard time just
getting here," Shiv said.
"You want some space?"
"That would be nice, if
Liberty feels comfortable
with me," said Dr. G.
"It's a public place,"
Liberty said, shrugging.
"Sit down if you'd like."
"Thank you for the invitation,"
Dr. G said, and sat down at
the booth where they'd been
practicing the napkin folds.
"I'll go help Cook," Shiv said,
and skittered off to the kitchen.
"Boss White mentioned that
you've got your head in a bit
of a tangle," said Dr. G.
"Well, that's what he said,
and he's a telepath, so I guess
he should know," said Liberty.
"I don't feel any different, though."
"Do you ever feel like you want
to do one thing, but find yourself
doing another?" asked Dr. G.
"Yeah, sometimes," said Liberty.
"Doesn't it happen to everyone?"
"Possibly so," said Dr. G.
"What do you think about it?"
Liberty snorted. "That you're
another silly head-shrinker like
the guy at the community center."
"That's part of my job," said Dr. G.
"Can you think of anything that
you might like some help with?"
"Maybe fitting in here," she said,
tapping her fingers on the table.
"It's a mixed group, and I haven't
worked with white people a lot,
but I really need this job."
"Diversity skills," said Dr. G.
"Useful to know, applicable in
any career, and you couldn't have
picked a better place to learn them."
He popped open his briefcase
and passed her a few pages.
"These are some activities that
can help you stretch yourself and
learn more about other people,"
said Dr. G. "Start with fun ones,
and it will be easier to grow."
Liberty looked at the list.
Visit an art show from
another culture. Listen to
music in a foreign language.
Eat at an ethnic restaurant.
Read a book set far away.
"Really? This counts?"
she said. "It's not much."
"It's a start," said Dr. G.
"Don't overwhelm yourself."
"It's just ..." Liberty picked at
the corner of a page. "Boss White
made it sound like I'm kind of a mess."
"He saw some things inside you that
worried him," said Dr. G. "Ideally,
we'd like for a mindhealer to take
a look. Trouble is, neither of us
know one suited to this case. So,
I'm starting with simpler methods
that I already have in hand."
"And that'll work?" said Liberty.
"Whether it does or not, it will
tell us something useful about
the inside of your head," said Dr. G.
He pulled out a few more pages
and offered them to Liberty.
"These can help you think about
your beliefs and values," he said.
"You might find places where you
want something, but feel as if
you're getting pulled up short."
Liberty wrinkled her nose. "It
looks like homework," she said.
"It can be," said Dr. G. "Maybe
something more visual would appeal?"
Next he pulled out a colorful page
that made her more curious,
and text that explained it.
"A pie chart?" Liberty said,
leaning over to look at it.
She realized that the labels
were all about different parts of
her life and how they worked.
"Oh!" She tapped one of
the wedges. "I got a job!"
"Congratulations," said Dr. G.
"How do you feel about that?"
"Really great," said Liberty.
"I'm so proud of myself. I wasn't
sure I could get a decent job,
but I did. Cook even offered
to teach me some kitchen skills!"
"That's quite an accomplishment,"
said Dr. G. "That sounds like
your career section is doing
well. If you wish, you can think
about other parts of your life
and how well they stand up,
or what you'd like to improve."
Liberty looked at the pie chart
again. Family was a mess but
she didn't want to poke at it.
Romance didn't interest her.
Fun, well, she had a bunch
of new things to try out now.
Finances should be good
since she just got a job, and
social, sure, she had met
people who didn't suck.
"Yeah, I can work with this,"
she said. "You really think
this will get me to okay?
"Mental health is
not a destination, but
a process," said Dr. G.
"It’s about how you drive,
not where you’re going."
"I can't drive either,"
Liberty pointed out.
Dr. G chuckled. "That's
all right, it's another thing
you can learn if you like."
"Maybe I should start with
a bus pass," said Liberty.
"That's a lot easier to earn."
"An excellent goal," said Dr. G.
"That covers your transportation.
You have a job and income already.
Perhaps a fun goal and a practical one?"
"Cook's going to teach me knife skills,"
Liberty reminded him. She looked at
the pages again. "I could try eating
at an ethnic restaurant. It's gotta
be good to know the competition."
Dr. G made some notes on a page
of his own. "That's a plan," he said.
"I'll drop by here in a week or so, and
you can tell me about your adventures."
"Okay," said Liberty. "I think I'd like it.
I don't know many folks here yet."
"Then it's a deal," Dr. G said,
and so they shook on it.
* * *
Notes:
This poem is long, so its notes appear elsewhere.
fuzzyred and chanter1944. It also fills the "Day Job" square in my 3-1-24 card for the National Crafting Month Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred. It belongs to the Shiv thread of the Polychrome Heroics series. It follows "Conscious of the Injustice" so read that first or this won't make much sense."Not a Destination, But a Process"
Liberty could hardly
believe her luck.
She had just gotten
into Omaha when she
met someone who had
helped her get a day job.
Shiv was a little weird,
sure, but he was solid --
and he didn't try to grab
her anywhere rude, so
that was even better.
Liberty was starting off as
an all-purpose cleaning girl,
since she already knew how
to mop and wash dishes.
That'd earn minimum wage,
which was enough to afford
a decent apartment, if she
could get some fake ID.
Meanwhile, Liberty was
set to couchsurf with
one of the waitresses.
She wouldn't be stuck with
cleanup work forever, though,
not if she wanted to learn more.
Cook had offered to teach her
actual cooking skills -- not just
recipes, but things like how
to use a knife so the slices
came out all the same size.
Liberty had pounced on that,
because job skills were valuable.
Right now, Shiv was showing her
how to fold napkins for the tables.
He had a binder with pictures of
the finished folds and lists of steps.
"See, napkins are cheap, and it don't
cost anything to fold 'em fancy, but it
makes the place look nicer," Shiv said.
"So we got the easy ones for every day,
the fancy ones for stuff like weddings,
and then all of the holiday styles."
"Bunny ears," Liberty said,
tracing the shape on the page.
"Yeah, them's for Easter,"
Shiv said. "We got flowers
too, and watermelon for
Juneteenth, a turkey for
Thanksgiving, and so on."
Liberty had to admit that they
looked cute, even if she wasn't
sure that she could fold them.
Then Shiv's head popped up,
and Liberty heard footsteps.
Coming toward them was
was a mousy-looking white guy
dressed in a woman's sweater
embroidered with sunflowers
and poppies, daisies and yarrow.
It even had a bunch of pudgy bees,
their tiny wings done in some sort
of shimmery thread that made it
look like they could really fly.
It was the silliest thing that
Liberty had ever seen, but
she wanted to touch it anyway.
Shiv bounded over and rubbed
himself along it like a big ol' cat.
"Hey, Dr. G," he said, grinning.
"Hello, Shiv," said Dr. G.
"Boss White thought that
someone here could use
a sympathetic ear."
"Ah yeah, Liberty's had
a bit of a hard time just
getting here," Shiv said.
"You want some space?"
"That would be nice, if
Liberty feels comfortable
with me," said Dr. G.
"It's a public place,"
Liberty said, shrugging.
"Sit down if you'd like."
"Thank you for the invitation,"
Dr. G said, and sat down at
the booth where they'd been
practicing the napkin folds.
"I'll go help Cook," Shiv said,
and skittered off to the kitchen.
"Boss White mentioned that
you've got your head in a bit
of a tangle," said Dr. G.
"Well, that's what he said,
and he's a telepath, so I guess
he should know," said Liberty.
"I don't feel any different, though."
"Do you ever feel like you want
to do one thing, but find yourself
doing another?" asked Dr. G.
"Yeah, sometimes," said Liberty.
"Doesn't it happen to everyone?"
"Possibly so," said Dr. G.
"What do you think about it?"
Liberty snorted. "That you're
another silly head-shrinker like
the guy at the community center."
"That's part of my job," said Dr. G.
"Can you think of anything that
you might like some help with?"
"Maybe fitting in here," she said,
tapping her fingers on the table.
"It's a mixed group, and I haven't
worked with white people a lot,
but I really need this job."
"Diversity skills," said Dr. G.
"Useful to know, applicable in
any career, and you couldn't have
picked a better place to learn them."
He popped open his briefcase
and passed her a few pages.
"These are some activities that
can help you stretch yourself and
learn more about other people,"
said Dr. G. "Start with fun ones,
and it will be easier to grow."
Liberty looked at the list.
Visit an art show from
another culture. Listen to
music in a foreign language.
Eat at an ethnic restaurant.
Read a book set far away.
"Really? This counts?"
she said. "It's not much."
"It's a start," said Dr. G.
"Don't overwhelm yourself."
"It's just ..." Liberty picked at
the corner of a page. "Boss White
made it sound like I'm kind of a mess."
"He saw some things inside you that
worried him," said Dr. G. "Ideally,
we'd like for a mindhealer to take
a look. Trouble is, neither of us
know one suited to this case. So,
I'm starting with simpler methods
that I already have in hand."
"And that'll work?" said Liberty.
"Whether it does or not, it will
tell us something useful about
the inside of your head," said Dr. G.
He pulled out a few more pages
and offered them to Liberty.
"These can help you think about
your beliefs and values," he said.
"You might find places where you
want something, but feel as if
you're getting pulled up short."
Liberty wrinkled her nose. "It
looks like homework," she said.
"It can be," said Dr. G. "Maybe
something more visual would appeal?"
Next he pulled out a colorful page
that made her more curious,
and text that explained it.
"A pie chart?" Liberty said,
leaning over to look at it.
She realized that the labels
were all about different parts of
her life and how they worked.
"Oh!" She tapped one of
the wedges. "I got a job!"
"Congratulations," said Dr. G.
"How do you feel about that?"
"Really great," said Liberty.
"I'm so proud of myself. I wasn't
sure I could get a decent job,
but I did. Cook even offered
to teach me some kitchen skills!"
"That's quite an accomplishment,"
said Dr. G. "That sounds like
your career section is doing
well. If you wish, you can think
about other parts of your life
and how well they stand up,
or what you'd like to improve."
Liberty looked at the pie chart
again. Family was a mess but
she didn't want to poke at it.
Romance didn't interest her.
Fun, well, she had a bunch
of new things to try out now.
Finances should be good
since she just got a job, and
social, sure, she had met
people who didn't suck.
"Yeah, I can work with this,"
she said. "You really think
this will get me to okay?
"Mental health is
not a destination, but
a process," said Dr. G.
"It’s about how you drive,
not where you’re going."
"I can't drive either,"
Liberty pointed out.
Dr. G chuckled. "That's
all right, it's another thing
you can learn if you like."
"Maybe I should start with
a bus pass," said Liberty.
"That's a lot easier to earn."
"An excellent goal," said Dr. G.
"That covers your transportation.
You have a job and income already.
Perhaps a fun goal and a practical one?"
"Cook's going to teach me knife skills,"
Liberty reminded him. She looked at
the pages again. "I could try eating
at an ethnic restaurant. It's gotta
be good to know the competition."
Dr. G made some notes on a page
of his own. "That's a plan," he said.
"I'll drop by here in a week or so, and
you can tell me about your adventures."
"Okay," said Liberty. "I think I'd like it.
I don't know many folks here yet."
"Then it's a deal," Dr. G said,
and so they shook on it.
* * *
Notes:
This poem is long, so its notes appear elsewhere.
Starting a new thread- social "standards"
Date: 2024-12-05 11:52 am (UTC)So, here's a new thread: HOW does the imprint respond to changes in the OVERALL environment around the victim? Born into the poorest zip code in West Virginia. Age one, the local churches each begin a LFL in their front yard, and routinely restock each other's libraries. Age two, the school shifts its after-school care to longer open hours, and includes wraparound services like meals and snacks through a food charity, then adds homework help through grants and training from a literacy foundation.
Stop the improvements there. The latchkey kid problem has largely disappeared, if the afterschool staff are safe and healthy adults. The nutrition problems have gotten a huge boost by having at least two reliable and healthy meals, plus at least one snack, five days of seven. The literacy problem has decreased because early literacy is encouraged, starting in preschool, with help and encouragement along with literacy-specific tutoring enfolded into the after school program.
There IS, and always will be, some drift in and out of programs like this, but for the majority of kids attending, the pattern of gains spans all of elementary school, not just a year or two of preschool.
So... How does the imprint react to the kind of improvements in the community that are "universal" in the child's perception, not color-based, not color-segregated to give one group power over the other? My favorite community center in California was largely white or Hispanic staff, serving mostly Hispanic people with a scattering of other groups. My new favorite community center is staffed 80% Black, 10% Hispanic, 10% everything else. How does that one change create epigenetic effects in a teen who moves from (a) to (b) just before they start high school, ESPECIALLY if the wraparound services are the same at the same quality?
Re: Starting a new thread- social "standards"
Date: 2024-12-06 11:40 am (UTC)The environment can reinforce the imprint, say through police violence. Or it can wear away at the imprint, say through literacy programs.
Hell, I've done it myself. *ponder* And we can use those numbers! Out of a class of ~20 students, we'd see 1-2 per semester just catch fire with it. That's a full success rate of 5-10% using ordinary methods on (what I believe to be) ordinary damage. So for super damage, take the lower number of 5% as 1 in 20 students with Lynch cuts who could break through the "dumb n*gg*r" part of the imprint by means of classes on literacy, literature, composition, etc.
>>The nutrition problems have gotten a huge boost by having at least two reliable and healthy meals, plus at least one snack, five days of seven. <<
I think nutrition will help a lot, because slave diets were deliberately poor, so that conflicts and creates friction.
>>So... How does the imprint react to the kind of improvements in the community that are "universal" in the child's perception, not color-based, not color-segregated to give one group power over the other?<<
The key part with community is you have a complex system interacting with another complex system. Not one point of friction, but if you're really trying to break it, many points of friction. Think about honeybees butting heads -- the more this happens, the faster the bee figures out that the food source she's reported is no longer valid.
>>How does that one change create epigenetic effects in a teen who moves from (a) to (b) just before they start high school, ESPECIALLY if the wraparound services are the same at the same quality? <<
Environment can make large, fairly fast changes in epigenetics. So I would expect community efforts to break that part of the imprint effectively. You need cohesion to get big effects though. Look at how it's taken 2 years for Shiv to make the progress he has.
Re: Starting a new thread- social "standards"
Date: 2024-12-06 12:59 pm (UTC)Look at where he is now, with a stable, supportive family, with work that he enjoys and art outlets practically whenever he wants or needs them (plus the income from Slash That Sh*t art), he's dabbling in college, DOING college-level work in practical metallurgy and glasswork, and so on. He can cook simple meals for himself, organize his day, week, and month with the support that others helped him create to meet HIS style of learning and priorities.
Give him another two years and he'll be what, twenty-four? How much faster will he progress now that he's working from a steady landing and launch platform? Unlike here, he'll be able to afford day to day expenses with a part time job, and can if he chooses, invest his profits from art, or use them to support the Omaha Res.
Sure, he took "the long way around" by T-American standards, but compare that to the chaos HERE, and the young man is doing very well with entirely legal aspects of his life.
Ironic that he calls himself a supervillain, isn't it?
Re: Starting a new thread- social "standards"
Date: 2024-12-07 11:47 am (UTC)Twenty-three maybe?
>> How much faster will he progress now that he's working from a steady landing and launch platform? <<
Don't forget ground lost to freaking out. It's likely to be a cha-cha.
>> Unlike here, he'll be able to afford day to day expenses with a part time job,<<
True.
>> and can if he chooses, invest his profits from art, or use them to support the Omaha Res.<<
He's been doing that already. Dymin helps him budget, but Shiv doesn't handle large numbers or long-term planning well. So he's got categories like fixed expenses, everyday stuff, seasonal ones like clothes, etc. That leaves leftover, especially with bonuses. So he's got a few places to shove extra money where he doesn't have to think about it. Savings, investments that someone else deals with, the Omaha Res, and art supplies are among those.
>> Sure, he took "the long way around" by T-American standards, but compare that to the chaos HERE, and the young man is doing very well with entirely legal aspects of his life.<<
True.
>>Ironic that he calls himself a supervillain, isn't it? <<
"Bitch, you touch that kid again and I'll cut your fuckin' fingers off."
He would've sliced her, too, if she hadn't backed off. Not to mention what he did to the would-be kidnappers. He can literally turn someone's own bones against them.
But mostly he doesn't.
Re: Starting a new thread- social "standards"
Date: 2024-12-07 01:55 pm (UTC)Re: Starting a new thread- social "standards"
Date: 2024-12-08 11:59 am (UTC)Well, until someone touches his butt -- then the claws come out.