SUCCESS!

You know how many times I've grumbled about always having to clean up after other people's magical messes?

For the first time in my life, students did something dumb and then -- instead of immediately calling us -- they figured out how to fix it themselves, using a method they learned from us.  I am so proud of them.  I am so proud of us.  I feel incredibly accomplished.  \o/

Poem: "Comfort on Difficult Days"

This poem was written outside the regular prompt calls. It fills the "Frighten" square in my 10-1-20 card for the Fall Festival Bingo. It has been sponsored by a pool with ng_moonmoth. This poem belongs to the China's Mistake, Shiv, and Finn Family threads of the Polychrome Heroics series. It directly follows "Worth Defending," so read that first or this will make no sense.

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Birdfeeding

Today is cold and wet, but just spitting rain at the moment.

I fed the birds.

I planted 18 Early Snow Glories along the edge of the daylily bed near the wagonwheel garden. 

Poetry Fishbowl on Tuesday, November 3

This is an advance announcement for the Tuesday, November 3, 2020 Poetry Fishbowl. This time the theme will be "Crossing Cape Lines."  I'll be soliciting ideas for superheroes, supervillains, blue-plate specials, supernaries, black hats, gray hats, white hats, cops, robbers, fantasy species, nonhumans with superpowers, medics, first responders, social engineers, failure analysts, ethicists, activists, diverse teams, rebels, wild young things, other people who cross cape lines, picking fights, making friends, convincing people to switch sides, rescuing, troubleshooting, improvising, adapting, social engineering, integrating superpowers into society, making changes, cooperating, bartering, speaking, listening, taking over in an emergency, discovering yourself, studying others, testing boundaries, creating connections, coming of age, learning what you can (and can't) do, upsetting the status quo, changing the world, accomplishing the impossible, recovering from setbacks, returning home, parks, streets, classrooms, political arenas, hospitals, ambulances, battlefields, workshops, laboratories, patch rooms, wilderness, rural areas, supervillain lairs, fantasy worlds, other places where crossovers happen, enemies to friends, enemies to lovers, truces in improbable contexts, unexpected bonds, medical neutrality, improvised tools and supplies, divergent drug reactions, scientific discoveries, innovation, old tools in new applications, problems that can't be solved by hitting, moral injury, logic vs. intuition, alignment change, forced alignment change, sea change, teamwork, found family, complementary strengths and weaknesses, confusion, independence, cooperation, values conflict, personal growth, and poetic forms in particular.

Among my more relevant series for the main theme:

A Conflagration of Dragons has the Six Races plus the dragons, who get along badly more often than well.

Fledgling Grace has angels, demons, and winged humans variously cooperating or squabbling.

Frankenstein's Family includes humans, werewolves, vampires, a mummy, and two doctors who make for creative alliances

Monster House has human inhabitants plus a bunch of different monsters.

Not Quite Kansas has humans, angels, and demons connecting in ways they're not necessarily supposed to.

Path of the Paladins includes deities, followers, and paladins of often conflicting alignment.

Polychrome Heroics has ordinary humans, supernaries, blue-plate specials, superheroes, and supervillains trying to get along as best they can.

Or you can ask for something new.

I have a linkback poem, "Autumn's Palette" (7 verses, standalone).

If you're interested, mark the date on your calendar, and please hold actual prompts until the "Poetry Fishbowl Open" post next week.  (If you're not available that day, or you live in a time zone that makes it hard to reach me, you can leave advance prompts.  I am now.)  Meanwhile, if you want to help with promotion, please feel free to link back here or repost this on your blog. 
 

( New to the fishbowl?� Read all about it! )

 

Poetry Fishbowl on Tuesday, November 3

This is an advance announcement for the Tuesday, November 3, 2020 Poetry Fishbowl. This time the theme will be "Crossing Cape Lines."  I'll be soliciting ideas for superheroes, supervillains, blue-plate specials, supernaries, black hats, gray hats, white hats, cops, robbers, fantasy species, nonhumans with superpowers, medics, first responders, social engineers, failure analysts, ethicists, activists, diverse teams, rebels, wild young things, other people who cross cape lines, picking fights, making friends, convincing people to switch sides, rescuing, troubleshooting, improvising, adapting, social engineering, integrating superpowers into society, making changes, cooperating, bartering, speaking, listening, taking over in an emergency, discovering yourself, studying others, testing boundaries, creating connections, coming of age, learning what you can (and can't) do, upsetting the status quo, changing the world, accomplishing the impossible, recovering from setbacks, returning home, parks, streets, classrooms, political arenas, hospitals, ambulances, battlefields, workshops, laboratories, patch rooms, wilderness, rural areas, supervillain lairs, fantasy worlds, other places where crossovers happen, enemies to friends, enemies to lovers, truces in improbable contexts, unexpected bonds, medical neutrality, improvised tools and supplies, divergent drug reactions, scientific discoveries, innovation, old tools in new applications, problems that can't be solved by hitting, moral injury, logic vs. intuition, alignment change, forced alignment change, sea change, teamwork, found family, complementary strengths and weaknesses, confusion, independence, cooperation, values conflict, personal growth, and poetic forms in particular.

Among my more relevant series for the main theme:

A Conflagration of Dragons has the Six Races plus the dragons, who get along badly more often than well.

Fledgling Grace has angels, demons, and winged humans variously cooperating or squabbling.

Frankenstein's Family includes humans, werewolves, vampires, a mummy, and two doctors who make for creative alliances

Monster House has human inhabitants plus a bunch of different monsters.

Not Quite Kansas has humans, angels, and demons connecting in ways they're not necessarily supposed to.

Path of the Paladins includes deities, followers, and paladins of often conflicting alignment.

Polychrome Heroics has ordinary humans, supernaries, blue-plate specials, superheroes, and supervillains trying to get along as best they can.

Or you can ask for something new.

I have a linkback poem, "Autumn's Palette" (7 verses, standalone).

If you're interested, mark the date on your calendar, and please hold actual prompts until the "Poetry Fishbowl Open" post next week.  (If you're not available that day, or you live in a time zone that makes it hard to reach me, you can leave advance prompts.  I am now.)  Meanwhile, if you want to help with promotion, please feel free to link back here or repost this on your blog. 

( New to the fishbowl?  Read all about it! )

Egyptian Bread

Yeah, that sounds right.  :D

I remember fighting over the pointy tip, because you could hollow it out and carry stuff in it, like soup or curry.  You didn't need silverware, you could just drink out of it, and when the soup was gone you ate the crust.  Some of the street vendors would slice the thing so the wide end was a plate, the pointy end was a cup, and the middle parts were side snacks.  Aaaaaand now I'm homesick.

Poem: "Beyond Any Other Emotional Pain"

This poem was written outside the regular prompt calls. It fills the "My "people skills" are "rusty." square in my 10-1-20 card for the Fall Festival Bingo. It has been sponsored by a pool with ng_moonmoth. This poem belongs to the China's Mistake, Shiv, and Finn Family threads of the Polychrome Heroics series.  It follows "Worth Defending" and "Comfort on Difficult Days" so read those first or this won't make any sense.

WARNING: This poem contains intense and controversial topics likely to disturb some readers. Highlight to read the warnings, some of which are spoilers. It features the aftermath of a kidnapping attempt turned street fight, talking to a policeman, asking for help and getting it, skittishness, fear of legal trouble, vulgar language, with an F-bomb here and an F-bomb there, low self-worth, preventable death due to delayed medical care, emotional overwhelm, going nonverbal, pacing, society FAIL, report of Mob violence disposing of threats, ruthlessly thorough response to kidnapping threat, excessive force, violation of medical neutrality, betrayal, horribly messy supervillain ethical issues, in which honesty creates a solution-caused problem, moral injury, emotional meltdown, rejection, smacking, serious cross-Family conflict, Boss Finn is pissed, somebody's gonna get it, called into the office, fear, resisting the urge to cut, wall-thumping, trying not to cry, calling for backup, and other mayhem. Bear in mind that this is heavy-duty hurt/comfort, more hurt than comfort in this part, and the sequel with more comfort isn't sponsored yet. If these are sensitive issues for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward.

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Notes for "Beyond Any Other Emotional Pain"

These are the notes for "Beyond Any Other Emotional Pain."

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Poem: "Too Angry to Be Safe"

This poem was written outside the regular prompt calls. It fills the "Iron" square in my 10-1-20 card for the Fall Festival Bingo. It has been sponsored by a pool with ng_moonmoth. This poem belongs to the China's Mistake, Shiv, and Finn Family threads of the Polychrome Heroics series. It follows "Worth Defending," "Comfort on Difficult Days," and "Beyond Any Other Emotional Pain," so read those first or this won't make any sense.  Continue with "To Endure Pain with Patience."

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