Elizabeth Barrette (ysabetwordsmith) wrote,
Elizabeth Barrette
ysabetwordsmith
  • Mood: busy

Poem: "Just to Feel Alive"

This poem is from the July 19, 2016 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired and sponsored by Shirley Barrette. It belongs to the series Walking the Beat.


"Just To Feel Alive"


Dale and Kelly were out walking
when Dale stopped suddenly
and said, "I miss this."

What do you miss? Kelly signed.

Dale waved her hand at
Copp's Hill Terrace Park
rising above them.

"I miss walking through
the old burying ground," she said.
"When I was a little girl, I used to come
here and walk among the headstones,
making up stories about the people and
watching for the first daffodils to bloom."

Dale's titanium cane tapped
restlessly against the pavement.

That must have been beautiful,
Kelly replied, looking up the slope.
Of course you feel sad that you
can't do that anymore.

"I miss climbing the terraces in
the spring, when the trees are
blooming," said Dale, pointing out
the billows of pink. "The petals fall off
the branches and pile up like rosy snow,
all down the steps and around the benches."

Pink snow, Kelly signed, laughing.

"When I was in the police academy,
I used to come here with other cadets,"
Dale said. "We would run up and down
the steps, competing to see who could go
the fastest, the longest, the most laps.
We ran ... just to feel alive."

Dale sighed. "I think that's what I
miss the most now, that feeling of being alive."

Kelly grabbed her moping wife and kissed her breathless.

After long minutes, Kelly released Dale and
asked her, How do you feel now?

"Like going to bed," Dale said
with a salacious grin.

* * *

Notes:

Copp's Hill Terrace is a park in Boston. See the daffodils, blooming trees, petals on steps, and petals around bench.

An acquired disability can cause depression and grieving. Typically this fades over time as the person adapts, but like any grieving process, reminders can refresh the pain at any time. Dale is far enough along that her limp and its limitations don't bother her often, and Kelly tends to handle it by first acknowledging the loss then redirecting Dale's attention in a more positive way. There are tips on coping with loss.
Tags: cyberfunded creativity, family skills, fishbowl, gender studies, life lessons, poem, poetry, reading, romance, weblit, writing
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  • 6 comments
technoshaman

technoshaman

July 25 2016, 00:45:34 UTC 4 years ago

*smiles* good for ..both of them!

It's why many vets ride motorbikes. It's not being locked up in a cage, it's being *out there* in the wind, in the elements, with only your brains and your skill (for many don't use much gear if any) keeping you from joining the tombstones...

Good for Kelly in finding other ways to bring the endorphins. :)
ysabetwordsmith

Yes...

ysabetwordsmith

July 25 2016, 01:22:48 UTC 4 years ago

>> *smiles* good for ..both of them! <<

\o/

>> It's why many vets ride motorbikes. It's not being locked up in a cage, it's being *out there* in the wind, in the elements, with only your brains and your skill (for many don't use much gear if any) keeping you from joining the tombstones... <<

I have noticed this. Some people need that sense of freedom, and yes, danger. I think the over-emphasis on protective gear has discouraged many people from sports such as biking. The gear is often so uncomfortable and obtrusive that it makes the whole experience unfun. People might try it and decide they dislike it, then quit -- without ever realizing they would have enjoyed it if done in a different way. By all means, protective gear should be readily available, and is prudent to use. But enforcing it just reduces the users to those with a high tolerance for restrictions. (Or people sneak off and enjoy freedom in secret, which is a problem because then if something goes wrong, help is far less accessible.)

And then they wonder why people just sit on the couch.

>> Good for Kelly in finding other ways to bring the endorphins. :) <<

Sooth.
technoshaman

Re: Yes...

technoshaman

July 25 2016, 01:39:01 UTC 4 years ago

The trick is, good gear - comfortable gear - most of it *costs*. If I suit up in my best shit, I'm wearing pushing close to two grand. Most vets don't have a hell of a lot of money, either, and that hog between their legs costs a shitload.

The trick is, and you're awfully close to it, knowing options. You can get *decent* gear - especially summer gear - for a fair bit less, *and* the less picky about (a) new and (b) manufacturer you are in bikes, the more you can save and still have a ride that'll make you giggle. I guess when it comes to gear you could call me at least somewhat hardcore...

But then, this ain't Sunny California, and I started riding for commuting before I figured out it was fun. :D
ysabetwordsmith

Re: Yes...

ysabetwordsmith

July 25 2016, 01:42:47 UTC 4 years ago

There are many factors including the individual's senses, their equipment, what feels fun or safe to them, the surrounding society, the physical environment, etc. All of those have to be at least acceptable, and the average has to be desirable, in order to make people keep doing it. As you note, this may be for practical rather than entertainment reasons but it needs a positive payoff. Therefore, any significant drop has to be counterweighed by an equal or greater gain. Otherwise the negatives stack up until they outweigh the positives and people quit.
technoshaman

Re: Yes...

technoshaman

July 25 2016, 02:00:39 UTC 4 years ago

*noddles*

The other thing that can keep people in the game is educating the people around them. The lifestyle (and I use that word because I grok it) is not without its risks... but if you educate people that (a) with proper training, it's not *nearly* the risk everybody thinks it is (and corollary to that, just how many people die *in cars*, mostly from bloody complacency), and (b) it keeps people *sane*...

I am thankful beyond words that pocketnaomi isn't just letting me continue, but seriously getting into it herself... actually starting to *grok* it... I am hopeful that with love and prayer and modern medicine we can roll up someplace - on very different bikes, I imagine - and whip off our helmets and wow people with the "hey, these OLD FOLKS just schooled our asses back in that canyon?" factor...

I know it can be done; I just saw a post from a retired couple that before participating in this weekend's Gather spent most of the summer bombing around Italy on Suzuki dual-sports... and unless I miss my guess she rides faster than he does. ;)
ysabetwordsmith

Re: Yes...

ysabetwordsmith

July 25 2016, 05:25:36 UTC 4 years ago

>> The other thing that can keep people in the game is educating the people around them. <<

That does help. I resent people trying to drive others away from something they love, though, and that's most of the social "education" going on about bikes.

>>I know it can be done; I just saw a post from a retired couple<<

Old bikers are like old swordsmen: they get that way by being very good.