Poem: "What Hatred Never Learns"

This poem was written outside the regular prompt calls, inspired by a comment from zeeth_kyrah.  It has been sponsored by Anthony & Shirley Barrette.


"What Hatred Never Learns"
-- a villanelle


Wisdom often teaches what hatred never learns:
War is not peacekeeping, and safety never comes.
If you fight fire with fire, the whole world burns.

Some leaders bark and bicker, while the chaos churns;
They think the land will prosper underneath their thumbs.
Wisdom often teaches what hatred never learns.

These are the wages that abuse of power earns:
What the leadership does, society becomes.
If you fight fire with fire, the whole world burns.

If leaders wield compassion, acting on concerns,
Integrity will flourish; tyranny succumbs.
Wisdom often teaches what hatred never learns.

Priests or kings or generals tramping down the ferns,
It doesn't really matter whence the power comes:
If you fight fire with fire, the whole world burns.

Peace will always flee from the hand that grasps and yearns,
But wait a bit -- you'll find it, sitting down like chums.
Wisdom often teaches what hatred never learns.
If you fight fire with fire, the whole world burns.

Poem: "A Purring Parcel of Paradox"

This poem is spillover from the September 1, 2020 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from chanter1944 and jtthomas. It also fills the "Out of Spoons (Energy Limitations)" square in my 9-1-20 card for the I Want Fries With That! Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by Anthony & Shirley Barrette. It belongs to the Officer Pink thread of the Polychrome Heroics series.

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Poem: Autumn Haiku 10-21-20

This batch of poems was written outside the regular prompt calls. They were sponsored by Anthony and Shirley Barrette. This batch is the third of five seasonal sets of haiku based on my favorite kigo page. Begin with the spring and summer batches.  Continue with the winter batch.

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Notes for "Autumn Haiku 10-21-20

These are the notes for Autumn Haiku 10-21-20.

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Birdfeeding

Today is clear and cool.

I fed the birds.  I saw two pairs of cardinals, a dark-eyed junco, and a squirrel in the forest garden.

We raked leaves and I dumped them on the daffodil bed under the gas tank.

I found a fern frond in the rakings.  Somewhere in the ritual meadow, we have at least one fern.  I'm not sure what kind it is, but I'm not picky; all native ferns are desirable. :D  The edges are shady, though I wouldn't have expected the area to be wet enough for ferns.  The only ones I've seen in the yard are those I have unsuccessfully planted.  But with Gaia planting things too, who knows what may crop up?  I am once again flattered at how nature finds my yard attractive.  

Illinois Ferns

Fern Habitats

Fern Guide

Fern

While picking up leaves in the ritual meadow, I found part of a fern.

This is probably the top side.


This is probably the bottom side.

MOORRRE!!!

fuzzyred has successfully gathered funding for the three target poems in China's Mistake that wrap up the aftermath of the kidnapping fiasco.  Bear in mind that "Too Angry to Be Safe" and "Their Need for our Disciplinary Assistance" happen at the same time, lapping over into "To Endure Pain with Patience."  I will post these as I have time.

"Their Need for Our Disciplinary Assistance"
Story Date: Thursday, February 4, 2016 around 8:30 PM in Mercedes, California
Boss Finn explains in excruciating detail what Leo did wrong and how it is going to get resolved.

"To Endure Pain with Patience"
Story Date: Thursday, February 4, 2016 a little after 8:30 PM in Mercedes, California
Tolli and Simon arrive to clean up the mess.

"Created by the Restitution"
Story Date: Saturday, February 6, 2020 in Mercedes, California
Boss Finn presents a concrete apology to Shiv.

I love it when my readers go MOORRRE!!!

Poem: "Their Need for Our Disciplinary Assistance"

This poem was written outside the regular prompt calls. It fills the "alphas" square in my 10-1-20 card for the Fall Festival Bingo. It has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred, technoshaman, and ng_moonmoth. This poem belongs to the China's Mistake 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. To get the complete coverage of Boss Finn stomping her way up the ladder, read the stories "Boss Talk" (with Rinaldo), "Lateral Discussion" (with Gigio), "Captain's Prerogative" (with Pinocchio), and "Meeting of Minds" (with Il Dottore). It takes her that long to run out of different sets of Things People Have Fucked Up Today.

Warning: This scene is emotionally tense and painful. Highlight to read the warnings, some of which are spoilers. It includes the aftermath of a kidnapping attempt and extrajudicial killing, which violated medical neutrality, Boss Finn in a coldly ferocious rage, Leo dropping like a rock, Boss Finn being very dominant but not all kinky so she doesn't fully grasp just how much impact she's having on him, an excruciating dissection of what went wrong and how it is to be fixed, authority and discipline, parental nightmares, concern about suspicion, debates over orders and ethics, the pros and cons of disclosure vs. discretion, solution-caused problems, Mercedes will make the news for yet another negative incident, consequences to locals including the town's supervillains, the Marionettes have stepped on Boss Finn's toes by failing to ask before acting in her territory, severe cross-cultural conflict, reference to moral injuries as collateral damage, betrayal, serious disagreements over cape politics, execution vs. murder, but the bad guys probably wouldn't have stayed in prison had they been left alive, arguing over disclosing the chain of command, Leo's fumbling attempt to shift an agonizing lecture to a beating from someone who is as vanilla as the bean, emotional flailing, painfully divided loyalties, Boss Finn just keeps digging for information about Leo's immediate boss, and resorts of very credible threats, submission, hopefully temporary banishment from house and family, misery, first steps toward apology and restitution, intense shame and guilt, trembling, nonsexual intimacy, and other mayhem. If these are touchy topics for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward.

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Notes for "Their Need for Our Disciplinary Assistance"

These are the notes from "Their Need for Our Disciplinary Assistance."

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