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.
Re: Liberty
Date: 2025-01-28 11:45 am (UTC)That's good to hear.
>> But here's one way that the "safety net" is more like a safety tightrope: one can be well within the monthly/yearly income limits for SNAP --BUT-- not qualify because there's more than 2K in savings.<<
That's deliberate. It's one of many provisions designed to keep people poor.
>> So, one can be saving for a car to have a better chance to get jobs that pay more than minimum wage... but doing so means that they don't qualify for SNAP (or WIC, last time I checked), which is a HUGE problem.<<
If they really wanted to help, they would provide a saving program for things needed to get someone back on their feet. You need a home address and a car to function in mainstream life, for instance. So saving for those things should be exempt. The system is just so abusive that lots of people avoid it, much like people would rather sleep under a bridge than be abused by a homeless shelter.
Re: Liberty
Date: 2025-01-28 05:06 pm (UTC)- the person must be working to qualify, and it's a matched-savings program.
- it is NOT an exception to the benefits qualifications, so blam, 2K cutoff hits EARLIER.
- the specific qualifications are set by the bank, which again excludes anyone who cannot work for reasons of disability, rather than available McJobs.
ETA: Such a savings partnership program would be PERFECT for Liberty. PLEASE don't let me forget that when prompting rolls around!!!
So, if it were a temporary setback due to unemployment, the program would work wonderfully to keep someone from sliding from "temporarily poor" to "totally effed by the multiple systems involved."
It's like once you hit the wrong chute, you're not deposited at the beginning of the Chutes and Ladders game, but three or four boards BELOW the official game.
Re: Liberty
Date: 2025-01-29 02:53 am (UTC)Which requires that the bank likes them enough to give them an account, and that they haven't been abused to the point of avoiding banks, or even that just prefer a credit union.
>> - the person must be working to qualify, and it's a matched-savings program.<<
Which not only lets out everyone who isn't able or allowed to work, it also creates opportunity for abuse if they don't dare leave their job.
>> - it is NOT an exception to the benefits qualifications, so blam, 2K cutoff hits EARLIER.<<
That makes it worse than useless.
>> - the specific qualifications are set by the bank, which again excludes anyone who cannot work for reasons of disability, rather than available McJobs.<<
0_o
One of the best descriptions of humans that I've seen came from an alien in fanfic:
"As Scorpius understands it, pity is an addictive emotional state for most of the Human species. Finding someone to pity and keeping them pitiable is very important to certain Humans, mostly those in power or in the medical fields. Those Humans not only want to feel the sensation of pity, but have a compulsive need to be needed. It's more important for them get a fix than to fix things."
>> ETA: Such a savings partnership program would be PERFECT for Liberty. PLEASE don't let me forget that when prompting rolls around!!! <<
Do you want me to hold onto that as your prompt? Or the food pantry one? *ponder* I might be able to fit both into one poem, but I'm not sure.
>> So, if it were a temporary setback due to unemployment, the program would work wonderfully to keep someone from sliding from "temporarily poor" to "totally effed by the multiple systems involved." <<
There are a handful of programs designed to prevent that kind of slide, but not many.
>> It's like once you hit the wrong chute, you're not deposited at the beginning of the Chutes and Ladders game, but three or four boards BELOW the official game.<<
Yeah, America's caste system is a problem. Thing is, rich people are like predators. It's a pyramid. They require a vast supply of poor people in order to be rich.
And they never, in all of history, figure out that if a castle can hold against 10:1 odds, the moment 11:1 people hate you, then you're doomed.
Re: Liberty
Date: 2025-01-29 03:01 am (UTC)But that's not true for everyone. People can run out of hope, patience, or confidence at different rates. When all the tanks are empty, what fills the vacuum? Bitterness, envy, resentment... NONE of which build UP the society, or the person going through it all.
As for the prompt... Pick one. I'd be happy with either, so choose whichever appeals the most.
Re: Liberty
Date: 2025-01-29 10:20 am (UTC)I'm most prone to bitterness when I get dragged to events I don't want to attend, and I'm stuck with people I don't want to be around, watching them have fun, when I'm miserable. Why should they get to have an event tailored to their tastes, and people they want to spend time with, and I don't? Fuck that.
>> But that's not true for everyone. People can run out of hope, patience, or confidence at different rates. When all the tanks are empty, what fills the vacuum? Bitterness, envy, resentment... NONE of which build UP the society, or the person going through it all.<<
Well reasoned.
>>As for the prompt... Pick one. I'd be happy with either, so choose whichever appeals the most.<<
I've printed off both. :D
Re: Liberty
Date: 2025-01-29 07:10 pm (UTC)