Week 2: If It's Any Consolation

[alycewilson]

This is my entry for week two of LJ Idol-Wheel of Chaos. The topic this week is "If It's Any Consolation."

This poem borrows from experiences over the past several years of both me and my son. I'll leave it up to you to figure out which is which.

If It's Any Consolation

You'll get a great story out of this
In this light, you can hardly see it
A little spackle will hide the damage
You can cross that worry off now
That's why we have insurance

You proved you're not a robot
Failure means opportunity
Nobody gets A's all the time
You'll learn from this experience
Perfect is boring

You're fitter than many people your age
You have amazing balance
Muscle weighs more than fat
Being "fluffy" makes you relatable
You're healthier now than 20 years ago

You should be proud you put yourself out there
For that brief moment, you had some good times
You both wanted different things
Next time, you'll know better
The heart is a muscle; it gets stronger

Feeling grief means you've felt love
Her heart will always live inside your memory
You're surrounded by reminders of her
You see her in the mirror
She never doubted you

At least you have answers now
They don't want anyone else
You haven't lost anything; you're still friends
Love confuses us all
You got a great song out of it

Art makes pain worthwhile



I find it both ironic and perfect that right now, my Pandora station is regaling me with "You Do" by Aimee Mann, a song that's a perfect fit for this sentiment.

Comments

[serpentinejacaranda]

I enjoy how these familiar consolations combine and interlace a parent and child to make a unique poetic sentiment, one I wanted to read several times.

[adoptedwriter]

I love the balance between yours and KFPs struggles over time. So much truth!

[hafnia]

I love how this is twined together, someone younger versus someone who has been around longer, both offering advice and commiseration. Lovely stuff!

[muchtooarrogant]

As others have said, I loved the shifts back and forth, older to younger and back again. And still, there was a shared sentiment, so age doesn't solve everything. (smile)

Great to be reading your writing again.

Dan

[alycewilson]

Thanks, Dan! I'm glad to see that you're back again and look forward to seeing what you come up with this season.

And yes, you're right that it was shifting from younger to older. This started as a list poem, and then it made more sense to group it into stanzas about specific experiences.

[alycewilson]

Thank you! I can tell you honestly that much of this was either said out loud (or internally) when these events happened.

[alycewilson]

We're at different points in life's experiences, to be sure!

[alycewilson]

Thank you! I'm glad you felt that way. I wasn't trying to be obtuse so much as to tell these experiences through the sorts of advice that gets offered when they happen.

[roina_arwen]

This is lovely, and very relatable regardless of ages. I love the line about being fluffy!

[bleodswean]

Love this, A! It feels like an inner comforting voice and in these cases such consolation is a lifting up to a future achievement or a current acceptance!

[legalpad819]

So much truth in here!

[alycewilson]

Thank you! I just wanted to keep it relatable, so I'm glad it resonated with you.

[alycewilson]

Some of it definitely was/is! Some of it (or versions of it) were said either by me or my husband, to our son, and from my husband to me ("That's what insurance is for").

[alycewilson]

Thanks! I actually heard a version of that statement from one of my students, who said that he enjoys my classes, because it makes him feel comfortable to have someone teaching the class who's more like him. He said he has trouble keeping up with the super-fit, young instructors, and I have to fit that these days, I probably would, too.

[wolfden]

I love how this ties together the different experiences and consolations of different times of life (that back and forth between older and younger people, parent and adult). This is lovely.

[eeyore_grrl]

i like how you intertwine and it is so relatable on both accounts.

[halfshellvenus]

You're fitter than many people your age
You have amazing balance
Muscle weighs more than fat
Oof, do these ever sound familiar. These are the consolations I say to myself!

Feeling grief means you've felt love
It's true, though it doesn't help.

[alycewilson]

Yes, all of these are rather poor consolation, as well-meaning as they may be.

If it's any consolation... I do feel like my son has grown more resilient as he's gone through some of the setbacks he's had. Perhaps I am, as well.

[alycewilson]

Thank you! It means a lot to have a fellow poet weighing in.

[alycewilson]

Thank you! As I mentioned to another person, I had intended to write it as a list poem but then began writing it as stanzas instead.

[marjorica]

I love the juxtaposition of the adult and child experiences, how some of them really could be either one. The experience won and the advice given rings true in the way that sometimes it needs to be almost apologetic.

[murielle]

So many wonderful gifts in this poem!

"You'll get a great story out of this"

How many times have I said this to myself?

"Perfect is boring"

Yep! Absolutely!

"Muscle weighs more than fat"

Amen!

"The heart is a muscle; it gets stronger"

I love this! And it's true.

"Feeling grief means you've felt love"

Yes!

And the entire last verse!

Thank you so much for sharing this with us. Wonderful! So much to embroider on samplers! ❤❤❤

[alycewilson]

I like to joke that, much like Alice in Wonderland, I give myself very good advice, but I very rarely follow it!

[murielle]

I think we all do that. At least, I do. 😊

[rayaso]

Wonderful poem! I love the interplay between loss/sorrow and art, and the consolation it can help bring.

[tonithegreat]

I like the way this reminds us that relationships aren't easy to parse no matter your age. I liked that I couldn't tell which experiences the narrator was consoling themselves on versus someone else. I guess that is part of the power of using the second person. You could be talking to yourself or someone else.

[kizzy]

I don't think they're obtuse at all because for me it was fairly easy to pick out who was who. But that's probably because we've known each other for a long time ;)

[inkstainedfingertips]

A lot of these snippets of advice sound really familiar to me. I like how you make this relatable. I also like how you weave all these threads of thought, blending the experiences of you and your son, together to form one cohesive piece. Beautifully done.

[alycewilson]

Yes, I'm sure that helps!

[drippedonpaper]

You're a wonderful mom! :)

I admit, this part especially speaks to me:
You're fitter than many people your age
You have amazing balance
Muscle weighs more than fat
Being "fluffy" makes you relatable
You're healthier now than 20 years ago

Health is a constant struggle and the words you wrote are new mantras for me. Thank you so much for sharing!

[gunwithoutmusic]

I loved this! What a smart and perfect response to the prompt :)

[fausts_dream]

Course knowing you and KFP a little this is extra resonant but I think 12 crafting an awesome for anyone