Poem: "Moving Through the Water"
Jun. 22nd, 2014 08:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis poem was prompted by dialecticdreamer and is posted here as barter for a presentation on how to handle soup fights, which will appear later. It also fills the "WILD CARD: family" square in my 3-6-14 card for the ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
origfic_bingo fest. It belongs to the Don't Try This at Home series in the Schrodinger's Heroes project, following the story "Don't Try This at Home."
"Moving Through the Water"
Eric is surprised when Uncle Chris and Pat
take an ongoing interest in his life, rather than
treating him as a problem to be solved.
Eric doesn't really understand why
two grown men would want to spend time
with a no-account teenager, but he can
wrap his mind around what they mean
when they ask what he likes to do.
"I dunno," he says.
"I hardly ever get to do anything."
Pat frowns, and Eric knows
that he's gone and said the wrong thing.
Uncle Chris just nods, though. "Well, let's see ...
Pat here knows cooking and talking.
I know hunting and fishing, and
we've got a boat out at the compound ..."
"You have a boat?" Eric says, his eyes widening.
He's only ever watched from the shore
as they skim over the blue water of Waxahachie Lake.
So they take him out boating,
and Uncle Chris teaches him all about
how a boat works and the names of the parts.
Eric learns how to coil the lines and
where to store different kinds of gear.
Sometimes they go fishing, and
Uncle Chris explains where to find fish
and how to know when they're biting for what.
Other times they just float over the water,
silently watching the scenery go by.
It's the most peaceful feeling
that Eric has ever known,
until it isn't.
The water brings up bad memories
of what he did to TeJay,
and Eric doesn't like himself
as much as he used to.
Out on the lake,
there's nobody to see
if Eric has to struggle not to cry,
nobody to overhear Pat's soft explanations
about feelings and how to deal with them.
It doesn't make much sense to Eric yet,
but he's trying, and sometimes
it helps a little.
Mostly what helps is just having somebody
to be there and listen to him,
not shoo him away like a horsefly.
Eric likes fishing and he loves the boat,
but what means more to him is the chance
to learn something new for a change,
something he can get his hands on,
not like the boring books in school --
and Uncle Chris notices when Eric
finally learns to tie an anchor hitch right.
Eric's still in trouble, and he knows it,
but he feels better now that he's
moving through the water.
* * *
Notes:
"Being on a boat that's moving through the water, it's so clear. Everything falls into place in terms of what's important and what's not."
-- James Taylor
Spending time with teens and helping them make decisions rank among the things they need most from adults. These activities aid communication. There are tips for spending quality time with teenagers.
Waxahachie Lake is popular for fishing and boating, accessible from several parks.
Family boating is a good way to spend time together. It helps to know the basics of boating, parts of a boat, and how to stow your gear. Boating knots include the anchor hitch. There are lots of ways to make family boating enjoyable.
Fishing has various benefits. Understand where to find fish and what bait to use. You can make fishing a fun family activity.
Volatile teenage emotions go hand in hand with making mistakes. Understand how to talk with upset teens and how to teach them emotional intelligence. Here is a workbook for developing emotional skills.
dialecticdreamer and is posted here as barter for a presentation on how to handle soup fights, which will appear later. It also fills the "WILD CARD: family" square in my 3-6-14 card for the origfic_bingo fest. It belongs to the Don't Try This at Home series in the Schrodinger's Heroes project, following the story "Don't Try This at Home.""Moving Through the Water"
Eric is surprised when Uncle Chris and Pat
take an ongoing interest in his life, rather than
treating him as a problem to be solved.
Eric doesn't really understand why
two grown men would want to spend time
with a no-account teenager, but he can
wrap his mind around what they mean
when they ask what he likes to do.
"I dunno," he says.
"I hardly ever get to do anything."
Pat frowns, and Eric knows
that he's gone and said the wrong thing.
Uncle Chris just nods, though. "Well, let's see ...
Pat here knows cooking and talking.
I know hunting and fishing, and
we've got a boat out at the compound ..."
"You have a boat?" Eric says, his eyes widening.
He's only ever watched from the shore
as they skim over the blue water of Waxahachie Lake.
So they take him out boating,
and Uncle Chris teaches him all about
how a boat works and the names of the parts.
Eric learns how to coil the lines and
where to store different kinds of gear.
Sometimes they go fishing, and
Uncle Chris explains where to find fish
and how to know when they're biting for what.
Other times they just float over the water,
silently watching the scenery go by.
It's the most peaceful feeling
that Eric has ever known,
until it isn't.
The water brings up bad memories
of what he did to TeJay,
and Eric doesn't like himself
as much as he used to.
Out on the lake,
there's nobody to see
if Eric has to struggle not to cry,
nobody to overhear Pat's soft explanations
about feelings and how to deal with them.
It doesn't make much sense to Eric yet,
but he's trying, and sometimes
it helps a little.
Mostly what helps is just having somebody
to be there and listen to him,
not shoo him away like a horsefly.
Eric likes fishing and he loves the boat,
but what means more to him is the chance
to learn something new for a change,
something he can get his hands on,
not like the boring books in school --
and Uncle Chris notices when Eric
finally learns to tie an anchor hitch right.
Eric's still in trouble, and he knows it,
but he feels better now that he's
moving through the water.
* * *
Notes:
"Being on a boat that's moving through the water, it's so clear. Everything falls into place in terms of what's important and what's not."
-- James Taylor
Spending time with teens and helping them make decisions rank among the things they need most from adults. These activities aid communication. There are tips for spending quality time with teenagers.
Waxahachie Lake is popular for fishing and boating, accessible from several parks.
Family boating is a good way to spend time together. It helps to know the basics of boating, parts of a boat, and how to stow your gear. Boating knots include the anchor hitch. There are lots of ways to make family boating enjoyable.
Fishing has various benefits. Understand where to find fish and what bait to use. You can make fishing a fun family activity.
Volatile teenage emotions go hand in hand with making mistakes. Understand how to talk with upset teens and how to teach them emotional intelligence. Here is a workbook for developing emotional skills.
