Poem: "Confidence, Trust, Believing, Strength"

This is the freebie for the August 2026

crowdfunding Creative Jam. It was inspired by a prompt from

gs_silva. It also fills the "grass" square in my 8-1-26 card for the Red and Green Fest. This poem belongs to the Shiv thread of the Polychrome Heroics series.

"Confidence, Trust, Believing, Strength"

Shiv wasn't quite sure what happened,
except one minute everything was fine --

then a motorcycle roared down the road,
the rescue horses went bananas -- and

suddenly Simon sprawled in one corner of
the paddock with his wheelchair in the other.

"Well ... hell," Simon said, grimacing. He
tried to brush himself off, and some of
the mess was dry enough for that,
but other parts just smeared around.

"Are you hurt?" Shiv asked, not sure
what to do. "I could ... call Tolli?"

"No, don't bother him," said Simon.
"I don't want him speeding back here
with only half of the grocery list."

"Okay, so now what?" said Shiv.

Simon looked around and spotted
his wheelchair. "I really don't want
to belly crawl all the way over there."

Well, duh. The paddock was dotted
with horse shit. Shiv didn't say
anything out loud, though.

"Would you mind picking up
my wheelchair and rinsing it
off with the hose?" said Simon.

"I can do that," Shiv agreed.

This particular wheelchair
was a rugged outdoor model,
a little heavier than usual, but
it would stand up just fine
to getting rinsed with a hose.

Shiv hauled it over to the spigot
and got it as clean as he could.

Then he found the basket of
rags and tried to dry it off.

"That'll do, thank you,"
Simon called. He had
gotten himself out of
the paddock and onto
the clean dry grass.

"Do you ... need a hand
up or anything?" Shiv said.

"No, just bring it over here
and then lock the wheels
for me, please," said Simon.

Shiv carried it and set it down,
found the little lever and pushed
it to lock the wheels in place,
and then he backed away.

It felt weird doing things
for Simon, instead of
the other way around.

Simon heaved his body
into the wheelchair and
deftly seated himself. "Let's
go back inside now," he said.

"What about the horses?"
Shiv asked. "Will they be
okay after getting spooked?"

"They need time to calm down,"
said Simon. "I'll take a shower.
Then we can run a health check
to make sure nobody got hurt."

Shiv looked down at himself.
He was muddy in places and
had water spots from the hose.

Sniffing his shirt, he wrinkled
his nose. "Yeah, I need
to go take a shower too."

The horses had kicked up
so much dirt, he probably
had manure in his hair. Eww.

"Not a problem," Simon replied.
"We'll throw the clothes in the wash."

"If the rescue horses are so much
trouble, then why do you two still
keep them around?" Shiv asked him.

"Confidence, trust, believing, strength,
joyful rides, great jumps, painful falls,
but most of all love," said Simon.
"They need it, and we have plenty."

Shiv wondered if that was only about
the horses, or something more.

* * *

Notes:

"Confidence, trust, believing, strength, joyful rides, great jumps, painful falls, but most of all love."
-- Anonymous

Rescued horses can be wonderful, but they often have trauma. In this case, one of these reacts badly to any kind of loud motor noise, and that sets off the others.

Current Mood: busy

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

gs_silva

I love this! They have a very, very Jon/Maurice dynamic. At least, here it does. It seems like the prompt you used was the role reversal, so that suggests they usually aren't like this together. A crossover where all four of them meet would be fun! They could compare notes.

(If I do a crossover, though, it's going to be the cats.)

I do love any excuse to draw horses, though. Jon isn't that into horses, but he could learn.

Now I know why you were hopeful that Angela would reclaim her stables. It was too soon when we met her, but if she appears again, she may be accomplishing that. I think horse people never stop being horse people.

From:

ysabetwordsmith

>> I love this! <<

Yay!

>>They have a very, very Jon/Maurice dynamic. At least, here it does. It seems like the prompt you used was the role reversal, so that suggests they usually aren't like this together. <<

It is role reversal. Shiv grew up in crappy foster care. He has the personality of an alley cat with all the cuddliness of a cactus. He doesn't like most people. But his supervillain gang runs out of a jazz joint, and he did get a lot of on-the-job teaching about interactions. Faced with a messy situation, if he doesn't bail or melt down, he tends toward pragmatic response.

>> A crossover where all four of them meet would be fun! They could compare notes.<<

Hee!

>> (If I do a crossover, though, it's going to be the cats.) <<

The cats would be adorable.

>> I do love any excuse to draw horses, though. Jon isn't that into horses, but he could learn. <<

On a horse, he could regain some of his athleticism, just substituting equine legs for his own. He'd probably need a special saddle or at least attachments, since he likely has little leg grip. A neck-reined horse would be an asset.

>> Now I know why you were hopeful that Angela would reclaim her stables. It was too soon when we met her, but if she appears again, she may be accomplishing that.<<

Yep.

>> I think horse people never stop being horse people.<<

Heck, I haven't owned a horse in this life, but I can still read which of the buggy horses in Amish territory are happy or annoyed. We saw an absolute ham of a horse giving carriage rides at a winter event last year, who was all, "Look at me! I'm so pretty!" It was adorable.

From:

gs_silva

>>Faced with a messy situation, if he doesn't bail or melt down, he tends toward pragmatic response.<<

Hah! This is where the hypothetical crossover might get sticky. Maurice watching Shiv melt down... I don't even know how he would react! It would be a surprise to me as well as himself. Maurice doesn't even know at this point that bailing and melting down are options. He had a very different childhood, and some people have remarked that raising your kid to put the family business above all else is unhealthy, but we all have different ways of being unhealthy.

In fact I don't think Maurice ever witnesses that behavior until his own kids do it, and then he's just mystified. °.°

Though maybe if Shiv finds he has so many eyes on him, he'll choose pragmatism if he can find it in him.

<<"Look at me! I'm so pretty!" It was adorable.>>

Haha! Horses are such characters.

From:

gs_silva

Okay, I have to take it back. Maurice has seen Jon melt down a couple of times, but his role in that whole thing protected him from having to deal with it. The birthday cake scene most notably.

From:

ysabetwordsmith

OMG licking the cake off the door! :D That is so awesome.

... I probably would've done the same. I'm deeply weird.

From:

see_also_friend

>>Maurice doesn't even know at this point that bailing and melting down are options. He had a very different childhood, and some people have remarked that raising your kid to put the family business above all else...<<

Methinks that is either called parentification or emotional neglect.

Also, in my experience, there's a point where someone's ability to function just...snaps.

Before that point, people have varying levels of cope or behavioral control, but after...yeah, it's not really a voluntary choice.

So someone might have really good skills and a high tolerance for stress, but push anyone far enough and the meltdown wont be a choice as much as an inevitable conclusion.

From:

ysabetwordsmith

>>Methinks that is either called parentification or emotional neglect.<<

It's the norm across most Asian cultures, though -- family and society over individual.

>>Also, in my experience, there's a point where someone's ability to function just...snaps.<<

That's true. But it's more than individual. The way the world is going, whole generations are telling their society to go fuck itself, because getting a job no longer results in making a living. Why work if you aren't rewarded? In many places there just aren't enough jobs for people in the first place. See rat people in China and cockroach people in India.

From:

gs_silva

--family and society over individual.--

Collectivism vs. individualism! That's exactly what I'm going for. But I also suspect that if your collectivism-raised family must land in an individualistic society, a farming community is better than most. All the kids work.

Meanwhile, the foster system wouldn't bridge that gap at all, especially one that offers a difficult upbringing. It's survival of the individual, to its logical extreme. Shiv deserves to have that context acknowledged. It must be a huge step in personal growth for him to look at a person, even someone in a position of trust such as Simon, and think, "What can I do?"

Jon in the cake scene has that struggle too. He learned to think of himself first. Which is absolutely mystifying to someone who was raised from birth to think in terms of customer service. XD

Edited Date: 2026-08-20 12:13 pm (UTC)

From:

ysabetwordsmith

>> Collectivism vs. individualism! That's exactly what I'm going for. <<

Yes! You nailed it.

>> But I also suspect that if your collectivism-raised family must land in an individualistic society, a farming community is better than most. All the kids work.<<

That is true.

*ponder* Well, it used to be more true in the 1980s-1990s than now. As far back as the 1970s, the leading tween/teen job in my locale used to be walking the fields in large teams to hoe out weeds. But as more toxic agrochemicals became available, people switched to using those, and the summer jobs vanished.

Much of the teamwork required for farming has been replaced by machinery. Sad. The Amish still work in teams, though. They're like ants -- I rarely see them discuss who's doing what, but any handful of them can swarm a project and complete it quickly. Impressive.

>> Meanwhile, the foster system wouldn't bridge that gap at all, especially one that offers a difficult upbringing. It's survival of the individual, to its logical extreme. <<

Absolutely true. It's brutal.

>>Shiv deserves to have that context acknowledged. It must be a huge step in personal growth for him to look at a person, even someone in a position of trust such as Simon, and think, "What can I do?"<<

It is huge! His story arc shows a tremendous amount of personal growth. Even a year ago, he would've scrammed out of that paddock without looking back.

>> Jon in the cake scene has that struggle too. He learned to think of himself first. Which is absolutely mystifying to someone who was raised from birth to think in terms of customer service. XD <<

True.

Me, I grew up without friends; the people I knew and spent time with were adults, and I also spent a lot of time by myself. It simply isn't natural to me to think about other people in that context, even after years of practice; it's an add-on. If you ask me my thoughts on what a group should do, I can account for that; but if you ask me what I want then you will get exactly that, without it even occurring to me that others are involved.

From:

gs_silva

Having a peculiar social history is good for writing, I think. It may not be good for the writer, but it's good for our storytelling!

I'm a lot like Cathy - I had a few friends growing up, not the type of friends one learns good social skills from, with periods of complete friendlessness in between. And I ran from situations too quickly. Until one day I didn't.

My spouse is steadfast and compulsively helpful, like Maurice, but not for any reason in his personal history as far as I can tell. He's just like that. It's an absolute joy to write that quality into an MC.

Sadly, that's the only quality my spouse seems to like about Maurice. We always support each other's creative endeavors, and most of the time we genuinely love them, but there are inevitably one or two who don't achieve mutual appreciation status.

In fact, there have been a handful of people who looked at Alien Romance and were turned off by it, specifically citing Maurice as the source of their problem.

I could've chosen any one of the main 6 to be the MC, and originally it was Cathy (but writing a novel that's entirely visuals and dialogue is harder when most of the dialogue is French)... so that still leaves me 5 good options...

Did I choose wrong? Of course not! But I used to be afraid that he was actually a bad choice. Now I think he was the best choice, but it's interesting that some people have emphatically disagreed with me.

Edited Date: 2026-08-21 12:04 pm (UTC)

From:

ysabetwordsmith

>>Having a peculiar social history is good for writing, I think. It may not be good for the writer, but it's good for our storytelling!<<

Agreed.

>>I'm a lot like Cathy - I had a few friends growing up, not the type of friends one learns good social skills from, with periods of complete friendlessness in between. <<

Yikes.

>>My spouse is steadfast and compulsively helpful,<<

Mine too. We have complementary strengths and weaknesses.

>>Now I think he was the best choice, <<

I agree. He's a very interesting and unique character. I lined my house with books; I've read a zillion "lost prince" stories; I want something unusual. You deliver. <3

From:

see_also_friend

>>It's the norm across most Asian cultures, though -- family and society over individual.<<

I suppose I disapprove of either of these being taken to an extreme where people are blamed for being hurt. Blaming bullying victims in Japan and blaming poor people in America for being poor are both harmful, even though they are at extreme opposite ends of the collectivist/individualist spectrum.

I've had enough exposure to different cultures that I know a) there are many different ways to do things, b) what works in one place won't always work in others, and c) every culture has parts that are beneficial or problematic.

>>The way the world is going, whole generations are telling their society to go fuck itself...<<

There's degrees of functionality, though. And it's a big difference between someone who can manage to take care of themself, or sort of, or not at all.

>>Why work if you aren't rewarded?<<

Yup.

>>In many places there just aren't enough jobs for people in the first place.<<

In some places it would help if minimum wage was enough to live on, assuming a full work week. It's one thing to work a low-status job, but its another to work a low-status job that /pays you badly and blames you for being poor/.

From:

ysabetwordsmith

>>I suppose I disapprove of either of these being taken to an extreme where people are blamed for being hurt.<<

Agreed.

>>I've had enough exposure to different cultures that I know a) there are many different ways to do things, b) what works in one place won't always work in others, and c) every culture has parts that are beneficial or problematic.<<

Sensible. It's why I like to watch to see who has the best solutions, then cherry-pick to combine those.

>>There's degrees of functionality, though. And it's a big difference between someone who can manage to take care of themself, or sort of, or not at all.<<

That's true. I do like to look for concrete skills. Contemporary people have lost a lot of those, although gained some like computer programming that are much newer. What concerns me is the loss of life skills -- how many people can't grow or cook food, sew on a button, or maintain enough situational awareness to step around and open manhole.

>>In some places it would help if minimum wage was enough to live on, assuming a full work week. It's one thing to work a low-status job, but its another to work a low-status job that /pays you badly and blames you for being poor/.<<

Certainly true. The rebellion is happening because no amount of work -- and some countries have an insanely high level -- is enough. So instead of the often violent revolutions of the past, this one is a much quieter "Fuck it."

From:

gs_silva

Hi! Nice to meet you. I don't know you yet, so I hope you don't mind if I set some boundaries. Just like the person who plunges their knuckles into a cat's face isn't the one who gets to pet the cat, I appreciate a softer approach. We can get to know each other gently, gradually.

Or if you're in a hurry, taking the

mama_kestrel approach of subscribing to my webcomic is actually quite brilliant.

I know... us artist types... we're a difficult bunch! (I don't actually think we are, but nevertheless, I do find it easier to interact by cat rules.)

From:

see_also_friend

>>Hi! Nice to meet you. I don't know you yet...<<

I believe I've seen you around. We might have casually conversed before.

>>...so I hope you don't mind if I set some boundaries.<<

Healthy boundaries are important, and so is healthy communication.

>>...I appreciate a softer approach.<<

Okay. I'll keep that in mind. And I'm sorry to have upset you. And to have behaved... let's say less carefully than I'd like to.

If anything else of the sort comes up again, I encourage you to let me know - I actually found the feedback useful, as it let me know I have some personal stuff to prioritize dealing with.

>>I know... us artist types...<<

I don't know If I came across as critiquing your art, or yourself personally, but just in case that was definitely /not/ my intention. (Comment added for clarification, not as an excuse for behavior.)

My impression of you is not that you are a "difficult person." From what I have seen, you seem to be an observant, considerate, and collected person who carefully thinks through decisions. You also have a high level of emotional skills, as your setting boundaries without being confrontational or coddling other peoples' feelings is something I find impressive.

>>...cat rules.<<

Cat rules are fine.

From:

gs_silva

I'm glad you replied! I think we did actually exchange comments before, yeah.

So, the thing you did that challenged my boundaries earlier was the unsolicited advice dump. I know, it's weird for me to be in this social space if I don't like info/advice dumps, but I'm trying to figure that out myself, heh.

Edited Date: 2026-08-31 01:30 am (UTC)

From:

mama_kestrel

I think horse people never stop being horse people.

I certainly haven’t, and it’s been decades since I had the opportunity to ride. For one thing, once I got heavy, there was no way I’d subject a horse to my weight. 140 pounds is one thing; over 200 is quite another. But when asthma + altitude kept me from a mountain path in the Canadian Rockies, I decided that if my 2 feet wouldn’t serve, someone else’s 4 were just fine.

I am off to acquaint myself with the characters you’ve been discussing!

From:

ysabetwordsmith

Yay! :D

gs_silva writes fascinating characters.

From:

gs_silva

You're my new reader! I'm so excited to have you along! That really makes my day, and today was a day that needed some making.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask if you want to. But it's a fairly straightforward slice of life story that takes place from 1988 to, well, we're just starting 1991 in the webcomic. The graphic novel ends with Cathy and Maurice's near-disastrous wedding in June 1990, and the webcomic picks up from there.

It's a lot like

ysabetwordsmith 's writing in that we have a lot of characters who appear intermittently, and we share a lot of similarities in our approaches to storytelling and the kinds of characters we create. A lot of backstory that was touched upon before you joined us, but it shouldn't be a big deal - I'm not hung up on canon vs. contemplation, and however my readers connect with my writing, even if it's not the direction I decided to go in, I don't care. I'm into it too.

Like your comments about horses. I probably would have enjoyed a horse-filled youth (and was not lucky enough to have one) but starting now (with a similar weight) wouldn't be feasible. That's okay! I still draw them, and I can have my characters interact with horses now and then. Living vicariously!

From:

see_also_friend

If you're interested, there are horse-related activities other than riding.

From:

dialecticdreamer

Shiv has seen each of his dads leaning on the other for something, and has accepted that long before he could approach this conversation even this obliquely. He's come so far, and now I can really see the "one step at a time" thinking which will carry him into being Boss Cheshire.

But specifically, being the one that Simon is leaning on in a moderate emergency? That's whole new levels of growth for him, and of family. Or perhaps, Family, as in the core ideal.

This is lovely!

From:

ysabetwordsmith

>> Shiv has seen each of his dads leaning on the other for something, and has accepted that long before he could approach this conversation even this obliquely.<<

True.

>> He's come so far, and now I can really see the "one step at a time" thinking which will carry him into being Boss Cheshire.<<

This is actually fall of 2014. It's not his first visit to the farm, he knows a bit about the rescue horses, but he's unsure how to deal with the situation. So Shiv reverts to his training from Blues Moon: when you don't know what to do, ask a more experienced person.

>> But specifically, being the one that Simon is leaning on in a moderate emergency? That's whole new levels of growth for him, and of family. Or perhaps, Family, as in the core ideal.<<

Sooth.

>> This is lovely! <<

Yay, I'm glad you liked it! :D

From:

dialecticdreamer

Asking what someone needs is an important skill. Shiv hasn't had many people do that for him, so it is NOT automatic. Boss White is very much a part of the kind of man that Shiv is becoming.

From:

ysabetwordsmith

Absolutely. Boss White understands that gang members rarely have an adequate set of people skills or work skills. So he's always had a whole range of lessons for teaching how to interact with customers, how to tend tables in the restaurant area, etc. along with bouncing, bodyguarding, and other more gang-related stuff. Disability skills is a whole cluster unto itself, which Shiv was surprisingly good at, so that's one of the few areas he already had solid skills in before meeting the Finns. Even if he wasn't really confident about it yet.

From:

dialecticdreamer

If home was better than the gang, they wouldn't be IN the gang.

Boss White is a businessman, and a sane person. He steers people OUT of the gang if they're not a good fit, rather than breaking them down and then mocking them for "weakness". He swaps people with different interests to other work, some legal, some not, but even if they're only "in" the business or the gang for a week, he does his best to help. That might mean that they spend nearly the whole week just learning that the boss meant what he said and they are SAFE.

Shiv really wasn't confident about himself in any way, and clung to the label supervillain because it "automatically commanded respect or at least wariness". He's growing so much, that "artist" fits in the empty spaces that he was plastering over. He doesn't NEED the title supervillain so much.

Boss White definitely saw that sooner than Shiv did!

That is a major reason why the Doctors Finn trusted Boss White when Halley was feeling rambunctious. Boss White doesn't want people just because others have thrown them away; he'd route them to some other business bussing tables or washing dishes if htey have no other skills, and gladly accept in return the young people who are scrabbling and protective, defensive and frustrated. They have the potential to fit into the gang very well.

Edited (more info) Date: 2026-08-19 07:20 pm (UTC)

From:

see_also_friend

>>If home was better than the gang, they wouldn't be IN the gang.<<

I read a historical book (about a true story) where the variant was "if there was something more interesting to do than canoodle, the teenagers would be doing that instead."

Turns out the solution wasn't hand-wringing or moralizing, but someone stepping up to organize game nights.

From:

ysabetwordsmith

Absolutely true. I've lived in a small town like that. Most of the teens screwed around or made trouble because they were bored. I read whole libraries and wrote poetry and gardened.

But that's why Terramagne has the Triton Teen Centers.

From:

dialecticdreamer

Grin. Pleasantville, anyone?

From:

ysabetwordsmith

LOL yes. I loved that movie.

"Cat?"

Shiv would have blown his drink out his nose laughing so hard.

From:

dialecticdreamer

You know what I loved most about it? Bud driving out to lover's lane in the daytime, and they find clusters of people reading books, presumably aloud to the others in the cluster.

From:

ysabetwordsmith

Hee! There were so many great scenes.

From:

see_also_friend

I am not familiar with that reference.

My example was from this:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/815812.Shantung_Compound

...which makes some interesting points about how humans operate. Also, for all that it describes deeply unpleasant circumstances, it isn't as...gloomy? as one might expect.

There are plenty of funny stories: people 'shoplifting' carrots, a bunch of monks using teamwork to startle the guards, the inmates providing a tax to provide for people who /aren't/ getting care packages for the simple reason that people who can't bate start to stink... (I think my favorite story was the one about the shoes from the South African Red Cross.)

From:

dialecticdreamer

Pleasantville is a movie that's 26-28 years old now. Toby Maguire was in it. The basic premise, two teen siblings of divorced parents. She's popular, outgoing, and thinks her brother is a dork. He's lonely, geeky, and loves an old black and white television show called Pleasantville. Comedy Hijinks end up putting the pair INTO the series, and they are trying to figure out how to get home.

Which says nothing at all about the deeper themes of change, adaptation, self awareness, respect, and more.

You can probably find it on YouTube.
The humor is spot on, which I very rarely say, but it's a balm against the bigger themes and heavy emotional work.

From:

ysabetwordsmith

>> If home was better than the gang, they wouldn't be IN the gang.<<

That's true of gangs in general, across both worlds.

>> Boss White is a businessman, and a sane person. He steers people OUT of the gang if they're not a good fit, rather than breaking them down and then mocking them for "weakness". He swaps people with different interests to other work, some legal, some not, <<

Sooth. It keeps things smooth.

>> but even if they're only "in" the business or the gang for a week, he does his best to help. That might mean that they spend nearly the whole week just learning that the boss meant what he said and they are SAFE.<<

True. For many it takes a lot longer to feel safe, but even Shiv has unwound somewhat.

>>Shiv really wasn't confident about himself in any way, and clung to the label supervillain because it "automatically commanded respect or at least wariness". He's growing so much, that "artist" fits in the empty spaces that he was plastering over. He doesn't NEED the title supervillain so much.<<

Well reasoned.

>>Boss White definitely saw that sooner than Shiv did!<<

It's not quite seeing the future, but Boss White definitely sees potential in people.

>>That is a major reason why the Doctors Finn trusted Boss White when Halley was feeling rambunctious.<<

Exactly.

>> Boss White doesn't want people just because others have thrown them away; he'd route them to some other business bussing tables or washing dishes if htey have no other skills, and gladly accept in return the young people who are scrabbling and protective, defensive and frustrated. They have the potential to fit into the gang very well.<<

Yeah, he's great with the wild young things.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
		1	2	3	4	5
6	7	8	9	10	11	12
13	14	15	16	17	18	19
20	21	22	23	24	25	26
27	28	29	30

The Writing & Other Projects of Elizabeth Barrette

Links

Page Summary

Active Entries

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags