Poem: "Choose to Be Gentle"
Jun. 4th, 2025 03:51 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis is the freebie for the June 3, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from mama_kestrel, in honor and memory of Lord Matthew the Confused. It also fills the "validation" square in my 6-2-25 card for the Pride Fest bingo. This poem belongs to the Draft Dawgs thread of the Arts and Crafts America series.
"Choose to Be Gentle"
[Saturday, August 5, 1961]
Matthew "Mountain" Conway
drifted into the neighborhood
toward the end of the summer.
The veteran seemed to be shifting
from one house to another, doing
chores to trade for crash space.
Pax met him first, as Mountain
was carrying a couch to toss
in a dumpster across the street.
Next, Moon encountered him
when Mountain helped her
to haul several heavy boxes
of craft supplies into the house.
Heyduke teamed up with him
when Mountain needed a hand
cleaning and repairing gutters
on their block, so they took care of
the Draft Dawgs Veteran Shelter too.
Then one day, Mountain walked up
to Kittyhawk and presented her
with an old suitcase full of kittens.
"These are for you," he said. "They
just weren't safe where they were."
Kittyhawk looked inside. "Well,
they're still pretty small, but all of
their eyes are open and they're
standing up. They're probably
old enough to eat canned food.
Thanks for bringing them to me."
"You're so gentle with everyone,"
said Moon. "A lot of veterans
have a hard time with that."
"I choose gentleness, because
I have learned that nothing is
won by force," said Mountain.
"I have known violence, but I
reject it. I choose to be gentle.
If I raise my voice, it's only in praise.
If I clench my fist, it's around a tool.
If I make a demand, it's only of myself.
Every day, gentleness is a choice."
"You're a good man, Mountain,"
said Pax, patting his shoulder.
Mountain soaked up the validation
like dry ground absorbing rain.
* * *
Notes:
Matthew "Mountain" Conway -- He has tawny-fair skin, brown eyes, and long coffee-black hair with just a little wave. He is tall and strong. He has mixed Mediterranean heritage. He speaks English and Spanish, plus a few dozen words of Vietnamese that he learned in Vietnam. He is 25 years old in 1961.
A war veteran, Mountain was discharged due to PTSD. He flinches at raised voices or other loud noises. Ravaged by violence, he has disavowed it and is now a staunch pacifist. Currently he hangs out in the neighborhood around the Draft Dawgs Veteran Shelter in Columbia, Missouri. Mountain does odd jobs such as home repairs, moving heavy furniture, or pushing a car to the mechanic shop. He is kind and gentle, especially with animals or small children. He likes hippie menswear, often natural colors accented with tie-dye, and tribal or other ethnic jewelry picked up on his travels.
* * *
"I choose gentleness... Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice may it be only in praise. If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer. If I make a demand, may it be only of myself."
-- Max Lucado
mama_kestrel, in honor and memory of Lord Matthew the Confused. It also fills the "validation" square in my 6-2-25 card for the Pride Fest bingo. This poem belongs to the Draft Dawgs thread of the Arts and Crafts America series."Choose to Be Gentle"
[Saturday, August 5, 1961]
Matthew "Mountain" Conway
drifted into the neighborhood
toward the end of the summer.
The veteran seemed to be shifting
from one house to another, doing
chores to trade for crash space.
Pax met him first, as Mountain
was carrying a couch to toss
in a dumpster across the street.
Next, Moon encountered him
when Mountain helped her
to haul several heavy boxes
of craft supplies into the house.
Heyduke teamed up with him
when Mountain needed a hand
cleaning and repairing gutters
on their block, so they took care of
the Draft Dawgs Veteran Shelter too.
Then one day, Mountain walked up
to Kittyhawk and presented her
with an old suitcase full of kittens.
"These are for you," he said. "They
just weren't safe where they were."
Kittyhawk looked inside. "Well,
they're still pretty small, but all of
their eyes are open and they're
standing up. They're probably
old enough to eat canned food.
Thanks for bringing them to me."
"You're so gentle with everyone,"
said Moon. "A lot of veterans
have a hard time with that."
"I choose gentleness, because
I have learned that nothing is
won by force," said Mountain.
"I have known violence, but I
reject it. I choose to be gentle.
If I raise my voice, it's only in praise.
If I clench my fist, it's around a tool.
If I make a demand, it's only of myself.
Every day, gentleness is a choice."
"You're a good man, Mountain,"
said Pax, patting his shoulder.
Mountain soaked up the validation
like dry ground absorbing rain.
* * *
Notes:
Matthew "Mountain" Conway -- He has tawny-fair skin, brown eyes, and long coffee-black hair with just a little wave. He is tall and strong. He has mixed Mediterranean heritage. He speaks English and Spanish, plus a few dozen words of Vietnamese that he learned in Vietnam. He is 25 years old in 1961.
A war veteran, Mountain was discharged due to PTSD. He flinches at raised voices or other loud noises. Ravaged by violence, he has disavowed it and is now a staunch pacifist. Currently he hangs out in the neighborhood around the Draft Dawgs Veteran Shelter in Columbia, Missouri. Mountain does odd jobs such as home repairs, moving heavy furniture, or pushing a car to the mechanic shop. He is kind and gentle, especially with animals or small children. He likes hippie menswear, often natural colors accented with tie-dye, and tribal or other ethnic jewelry picked up on his travels.
* * *
"I choose gentleness... Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice may it be only in praise. If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer. If I make a demand, may it be only of myself."
-- Max Lucado
