The Cobbler's efforts

[The Cobbler's Apprentice]

Well, after a brief interlude that included "freaks" and the hope of Artificial Intelligence, its back to the Cobbler's ancient doggerel. At the moment I'm in the Oxfam Book and Music shop and customers are a bit thin on the ground. Maybe I have just upset Somoo on the Islam section but hey, here I am listening to the Beach Boys.
I've dipped into my old book of poems and hit one that brings back vague memories of my capacity for instant judgements of others. It is called "The Punk"...

His spiked hair like a rainbow
Paint dashed on his clothes
A razor in his ear-hole
Hat-pin through his nose
He's punk, he's mod, he's rocker
All rolled into one
And you can see he's CND
By the sticker on his bum
Thinner than a broomstick
His face was gaunt and stark
Teeth as black as coal-dust
His hair glowed in the dark
You'd sometimes see him hand in hand
With a girl he'd never marry
Sharing tins of cold baked beans
Nicked from Cash n' Carry
I didn't think much of him
Until I saw him meet
A little lady, take her hand
And help her cross the street

Maybe a modern version of the parable of the Good Samaritan.

[Nowayout]

Originally Posted by The Cobbler's Apprentice

Definitions:-

Neurotypical people are those individuals who do not have a diagnosis of autism or any other intellectual or developmental difference.

When I said the" freaks" need to adapt I was using your terms. It was meant to be tongue in cheek.

The "freak" sees what we cannot see.

Sorry to have misled you.

God help me, my son has Autism, and I'm on the fringe, but hey, peace and light my dear friend?

And yes, my son needs to adapt at work, and socially too, It's a neurotypical world.. eh. It's a struggle for him, and me too at times.

But what is normality?

Peace and light be with us all?

[The Cobbler's Apprentice]

Originally Posted by Nowayout

Peace and light be with us all?

Hi, my apologies. It wasn't apparent that you were being tongue in cheek. I've met far worse than that on various forums.
"Freak" was Laura Gilpin's term, from her poem. I put the word in inverted commas which for me indicates a term used by others but not necessarily by myself.
My own daughter works with special needs children/young adults and I have done plenty of volunteer work with the same. I asked her once:- "What's wrong with that one?" and she simply said: - "You don't need to know what's wrong, you just treat them as the child that they are". The beauty of difference. As you say, "what is normality". I sometimes think we are all special needs.
Yes, it is a struggle at times and I apologise once again for any misunderstanding.
Anyway, hoping to get away with it, here is the full poem by Laura Gilpin, "The Two Headed Calf"....

Tomorrow when the farm boys find this
freak of nature, they will wrap his body
in newspaper and carry him to the museum.

But tonight he is alive and in the north
field with his mother. It is a perfect
summer evening: the moon rising over
the orchard, the wind in the grass. And
as he stares into the sky, there are
twice as many stars as usual.

[Nowayout]

Originally Posted by The Cobbler's Apprentice

Hi, my apologies. It wasn't apparent that you were being tongue in cheek. I've met far worse than that on various forums.
"Freak" was Laura Gilpin's term, from her poem. I put the word in inverted commas which for me indicates a term used by others but not necessarily by myself....

My Son is great, he works so hard! I love him a lot.

I failed grade 4, was put in a special needs class for a year but back then there was no understanding of Autism, 1967. So after many IQ tests, they figured I was just eccentric? and put me back in the mainstream.

I do OK, was married, have a degree in Social work, but my wife left, and now I drive Transport trucks because I have extreme social anxiety at times.

Prefer being alone.

I worked in Group homes too. And I was a cloistered monk for a year but figured I was just running from the world.

I love God too...

The God within

Anyway, many people on the forum I'm sure are on the spectrum too. Truly enjoy your posts, you have depth to your poems, and I enjoy your dialog.

A belated welcome.

[The Cobbler's Apprentice]

Originally Posted by Nowayout

A belated welcome.

I'm glad that we got that sorted out.

Thanks for the autobiographical details. I tend to think that context is everything and maybe we would need the full life story of each other here to better understand any post.

I have always loved solitude, which is obviously another thing than loneliness. I can see the satisfaction of sitting in your cab knowing there and then what is what without others seeing a different context entirely.

I've sometimes mused over a monks life but honesty makes me realise that I love my comforts far too much. A plank for a bed or something similar would soon end the dream.

That's all for now.

Originally Posted by The Cobbler's Apprentice

I've sometimes mused over a monks life but honesty makes me realise that I love my comforts far too much.

A mate of mine joined a monastery
One of them ones where you couldn't speak
He'd work all day in the gardens
And never say a word all week.

But then, on Sunday mornings
When the monks were descending the stairs
One pompous old bloke the head of the group
Puffed up and puttin on airs.

Would chant, "Good morning Brothers"
In a sing songing sort of way,
And they'd chant back, "Good morning father",
Then all go to church and pray.

Well, after thirteen months of this nonsense
Me mate, who's a bit of a rebel
Slipped in a good evening instead of good morning
He always was a devil.

Well, the head monk was shocked
He could believe the words what he was hearing
And he sang in his sing songing sort of way
"Someone Chanted evening."

Chanted to the tune, "Some enchanted evening."...... The Anointed

[Nowayout]

When I was a Cloistered monk, The monastic rule drawn up by Benedict of Nursia ( c. 480 – c. 547) distinguishes between the seven daytime canonical hours of lauds (dawn), prime (sunrise), terce (mid-morning), sext (midday), none (mid-afternoon), vespers (sunset), compline (retiring) and the one nighttime canonical hour of the night watch.

It was all very mystical, and I will never forget those days.

We all have our own paths....

[Nowayout]

And so it continues...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cwH...bx2W6 DKiXoKg