Poem: "Buffer's Own"

[ysabetwordsmith]

This poem was inspired and sponsored by marina_bonomi in honor of her profession as a cultural mediator.  Additional ideas for the individual challenges came from xjenavivex, janetmiles, jenny_evergreen, and "tonithegreat.  This poem is set in my main science fiction universe.

Buffer's Own

When humanity refracted itself

Comments

[marina_bonomi]

Thank you, Elizabeth.

I'll keep this firmly fixed in mind as a vision of a possible future in moments when another teacher saying 'Why don't the Chinese here want contact with outsiders?' or the umptienth social worker asking 'Tell me, that thing about the Chinese never dying, is ist actually true?' has me counting to ten, smiling and trying to explain, while I'd like either to bite their noses off or run screaming.

Yay!

[ysabetwordsmith]

I'm so glad this poem worked for you. It was a stretch for me -- I'm familiar with the theory of that kind of mediation, but it's outside my skill range

Re: Yay!

[marina_bonomi]

I'll be happy to answer any question you might have regarding cultural mediation (be warned, though, it is one of those field in which there's no 'single correct answer', there's a lot of adapting, growing and changing involved).

As to the supposed 'willing' isolation of the Chinese outside of China, in my experience isn't chosen as much as imposed by a series of circumstances. Most of them are here driven by need, as soon as they arrive they start working in businnesses owned by other Chinese, many barely finished elementary school at home, and often work 12-15 hours a day.
I'm always very surprised at those who muster the energy and, yes, the courage, to enroll in an Italian language course under those conditions.

And yes, what you describe is exactly why I love speculative fiction too. :-)

[eseme]

I also like this one. I am hopeful that the concept of understanding each other and compromise will replace war eventually.

Thank you!

[ysabetwordsmith]

I hope so too.

The WAR in my main SF universe was a major turning point. I get very little about it, but it shows up in some of the implications and is background for some of the modern structure.