Not What I expected to post this week, but...

 the book post isn't ready yet.

Disabled Woman’s Elegy

I hope the Earth
Appreciates my body

As I never could, and few others,

Ever tried.

It will accept my nourishment

Slowly and quietly,

And not decline to take it,

Because I “have enough problems.”

In that last act,

I’ll be like

Everyone else.

Despite my lack of assets,

And probably livestreamed funeral,

Flesh is flesh,

And minerals are minerals.

There will be proof that I was here,

That does not fit in a social-service file.

In a dark way,

That makes me smile.

I will not pass as quietly as my cat.

I complain too much for that!

Even if  I had a quiet soul,

I don’t have her self-control.

Maybe it’s easier when

Jumping around fulfills your potential.

Bohemian Crip Watches Movies: The Sound of Metal

 

It’s a rare film that could rest in an actor’s eyes, especially a male actor like Riz Ahmed, but Sound of Metaldoes just that, while reminding your Bohemian Crip that, as much as she may be down with solidarity across conditions, she actually relies on her hearing quite a lot.  This makes the silent patches feel rather long, even if the cinematography was pretty beautiful throughout.  It can be quite emotional watching a character process not-hearing, though I did wonder how that feels to a deaf audience. We watch as a recovering-addict drummer in a heavy metal band faces the loss of his hearing…it’s almost as if we watch it happen, though we don’t, of course.

I wondered if a lot of what I saw was real, although we all know that even those “ Based On A True Story” sometimes cheat quite a bunch so they can freeze-frame on a high note.  My googling didn’t find a real deaf heavy metal drummer, but I did hope that people who are new to hearing loss would have the community and support featured in the midpoint of this film.(I’ve always felt some envy of the deaf community’s common language and ability to build a culture, at least in theory.(Maybe the film idealizes, though and wrote it how they wish it would be—all writers, especially with disabilities, have done it.

Like I said, apart from some silent bits making your correspondent restless, this is a rare touching film that doesn’t manhandle the heartstrings. I would recommend it overall, if you want something to think about as you’re watching.  The characters stay with you, especially the lead and his girlfriend Lulu, especially during the scene where they break up.

Writing Thoughts from Dreamwidth...

 Can't move ahead in my plot until I decidewhether to pair off my MC

Age Is Not A Personality...

 

Even before I started watching the documentary "Some Kind Of Heaven', just paging through the mixed gauntlet of reviews, I was reminded of a quote from  a friend of a friend on Twitter, namely, “Disability is not a personality.” Not that I’m conflating age and disability  so much except that mainstream America tends to think of both groups as monolithic, childlike people whose every day should happen somewhere between a doctor’s office and some kind of theme park.

I guess the chief takeaway from this film is that retirement, even in sunny Florida with the strains of classic rock in the background, is not a personality either. Bad planners, people who use drugs(Whether for spiritual seeking or some kind of late-in-life hedonism…it wasn’t really clear to my eye though it caused his more straight-laced wife a great deal of embarrassment.  Actual Mom was bored, but I found it to be decent people-watching, in the manner of hanging around the mall back in the day.  I do think the sleeve did create the impression that more would happen within the film, but there's a lot of subtext.

Poem: Deserved

 "I want you to have what you deserve."

Like "for your own good," a loaded pitch.

I can barely pay attention because of my own itch,

restlessly caught, in my mind at least,

between a dank musty cell,

and 300-count sheets with chocolates on the pillow.

Catch me on the right(wrong?) day and either one could be my due.

One day I'm a freedom fighter.

The next I'm indigent scum,

A bumpy ride, and I can't decide

If it's ever

Deserved.