Poem: "The Necessary Bear"
Dec. 7th, 2012 07:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis poem came out of the December 4, 2012 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif){kind=small}
the_vulture and discussion with my_partner_doug. It has been sponsored by Anthony & Shirley Barrette. This poem belongs to the series Monster House, which you can explore further on the Serial Poetry page.
The monster-under-the-bed
had a teddy bear of his very own.
He kept it hidden most of the time,
but we'd caught glimpses over the years.
The day my daughter started high school,
I found him sitting on her bed,
holding his bear.
It was a very old bear,
plainly one of the first ever made:
the kind with jointed legs and a long snout
and beady black eyes made of glass.
If you tipped the head down
and then back up again,
the bear would growl.
The monster-under-the-bed
sat on my daughter's velveteen quilt
and hugged his bear.
"My first child gave me this,"
he said to me,
"when she left to get married."
I was suddenly reminded
how much older monsters could be
compared to humans,
how many people they must have known
and parted from over the years.
"It's just high school,"
I reminded him.
"My daughter isn't leaving soon."
"She's growing up, though,"
said the monster-under-the-bed.
"Kids tend to do that," I agreed.
He moved the bear's head
forward and back,
making it growl.
"Many monsters are just figments,"
he mused, "imaginary friends
that come, and then go
when they aren't needed anymore."
He stroked the bear's plush fur.
"This helped me hold myself together
after my first girl was gone.
It's necessary to have an anchor."
"So the story's true then?"
I asked him.
"Love makes you real?"
He shrugged and said,
"Love makes everyone real."
I sat beside him on my daughter's bed,
wrapped an arm around to hug him
and the necessary bear, and said,
"Yeah, it does that."
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(no subject)
Date: 2012-12-08 01:58 am (UTC)*hugs*
Date: 2012-12-08 02:01 am (UTC)Re: *hugs*
Date: 2012-12-08 02:10 am (UTC)Re: *hugs*
Date: 2012-12-08 03:04 am (UTC)Re: *hugs*
Date: 2012-12-08 04:19 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-12-08 05:26 pm (UTC)And
p.s. shared...
Yes...
Date: 2012-12-08 11:43 pm (UTC)*hugs* I'm glad folks are enjoying this poem so much.
(no subject)
Date: 2012-12-09 11:31 am (UTC):)
(no subject)
Date: 2012-12-08 03:52 am (UTC)Thank you!
Date: 2012-12-08 03:54 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-12-08 02:32 pm (UTC)Thank you!
Date: 2012-12-08 11:47 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-12-08 08:02 pm (UTC)*snif*
Thank you!
Date: 2012-12-08 11:46 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-12-09 11:38 am (UTC)"Love makes everyone real.""
Although I know you had no way of knowing this, I recently had a 'velveteen rabbit moment' in real life which I never thought I'd have.
I have to agree: Love really does make us real.
I guess I'll be calling it a 'necessary bear moment' from here on.
Thank you!
:)
You're welcome!
Date: 2012-12-10 03:46 am (UTC)And wow, I term-bumped The Velveteen Rabbit ...? I am deeply flattered.
Re: You're welcome!
Date: 2012-12-10 02:53 pm (UTC)I think it aught to be required reading for every child.
You have a gift for putting a deep emotional impact into your writing which very few modern writers do. I like the fact that it's usually a positive emotional impact.
I don't know why but many modern writers these days usually seem to make theirs negative or at least distasteful when they are trying for emotional impact which I find rather sad.
:|
Re: You're welcome!
Date: 2012-12-10 06:33 pm (UTC)Sooth.
>>I think it aught to be required reading for every child.<<
That would be nice.
>>You have a gift for putting a deep emotional impact into your writing which very few modern writers do. I like the fact that it's usually a positive emotional impact.<<
Thank you!
>>I don't know why but many modern writers these days usually seem to make theirs negative or at least distasteful when they are trying for emotional impact which I find rather sad.<<
I think part of it is the shape the world is in, part of it is market pressure, and part that it's often easier to get attention by stirring up trouble.
Re: You're welcome!
Date: 2012-12-11 01:33 am (UTC)Some of the worst little troublemakers I ran into back when I was substitute teaching had been conditioned to seek attention by misbehaving--apparently they were ignored at home until they were punished for misbehavior.
With a bit of experimenting, I found that the only way I could disrail them was to find ways to give them bits of positive attention. I could tell that it was working when I saw looks of confusion cross their faces.
Naturally I never heard a word about this while I was taking my education classes!
:(
Re: You're welcome!
Date: 2012-12-11 01:38 am (UTC)Children require attention. Actually, so do most adults, because humans are a social species; but children need more because it's part of their learning process. They can't hold themselves up yet.
Re: You're welcome!
Date: 2012-12-11 01:48 am (UTC):)
Re: You're welcome!
Date: 2012-12-11 01:51 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-12-10 01:52 am (UTC)So sweet!
My own comfort toy is actually a plush Cthulhu ;)
Yes...
Date: 2012-12-10 02:20 am (UTC)We have Cthulhu, Nyarlothotep, a Shoggoth, and a Deep One.
Re: Yes...
Date: 2012-12-10 03:59 am (UTC)And this one is over my desk at work right now:
(no subject)
Date: 2012-12-11 04:52 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-12-12 12:17 am (UTC)Aww...
Date: 2012-12-12 12:49 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-12-13 11:48 pm (UTC)Yay!
Date: 2012-12-13 11:57 pm (UTC)