[lit-ideas] Re: Channeling Kali
- From: "Kahn, Rupert" <R.D.Kahn@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 31 May 2006 17:18:53 +0100
Similar to playing mad, why carry a gun when packing a poem can save
you? George Melly fended off a gang of thugs as follows:
"I was anaesthetized by fear. I subconsciously did the only thing that
might work and it did. I took out of my pocket a small book of the
sound poems of the dadaist Kurt Schwitters, explained what they were,
and began to read... Slowly, muttering threats they moved off. I can't
explain why it worked, but I suspect that it was because they needed a
conventional response in order to give me a going over."
http://www.palgrave.com/pdfs/0333696212.pdf (page 15).
Of course there is a risk that they turn you over while you are finding
your page.
Rupert
Sheffield
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Sent: 31 May 2006 06:44
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Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: Channeling Kali
In a message dated 5/31/2006 12:10:11 A.M. Central Daylight Time,
My primary concern right now, though, is that I am temporarily
transportationless and do a great deal of walking. Past some not too
great neighborhoods.
Hi,
Actually, pepper spray (some kinds) do work -- and actually being
confident IS a plus. The studies that have been done show that if there
was fear 'sensed', the attacks came too. That's one reason for multiple
bad stuff happening--the attitude DOES make a difference.
But, so, too--does being crazy and/or sick. <g> When I am in spots
like this (I like to walk a lot too--especially when I am in conference
towns, actually, which are usually in big cities--and I tend to walk a
lot and gawk so forget time and so--have a long way to walk home and
then realize hm...not such a safe place and it is getting dark, etc.)
So--if there are weird/strange people around, I figure I'll take my
chances with the cops (if it is illegal in that particular city) and
begin to cough and/or spit. (It's easier for me to act ill than it is
to act crazy--though theoretically, that works too--at least in the
studies I have seen...)
On the other hand--get cranky and cross and be ready to give a lecture
about LIFE. WHO might be willing to step in your way THEN??
Actually--this did happen in my world to me once upon a time. Before
the time of 'easy money' and no down payments--I was a single mom with a
kid and we wanted to own a home again. Right down the road lived
another single mom with two kids and she wanted to go back to school.
Our kids played together all the time and were at one home or the other
anyway--so we decided we would move to yet another (bigger) home in the
neighborhood and live together. (Our pact was for one year--figured we
could both deal with sharing a home with another person for a year--we'd
each been single for so long that we also figured it might be a good
thing to decide if we could deal with living with someone else again.
For her it must have worked as she is married again <g>...)
Since we were so close to each other and to the new spot, we decided to
forego moving people and move ourselves and so, with friends (and
kids...and kids...and more kids...it was the Pied Piper Moving Company),
we moved. The last day, she and I were carrying sofas and such--hard
work but it was at the end. We had to pass by another home which had a
young man and his girlfriend living in it--and they had friends over
(well, he did--she was not there at the time...) Five fellows having a
party in their garage...and after we had moved it in, two came knocking
on our door and asked if one of us would come out as one of the others
was feeling suicidal and they didn't know what to do. (They obviously
knew what would push a mom's 'button'...) So--I looked at my friend and
she looked at me--we sighed and I said, "I'll go--" While I was out
front with the three fellows--two of them apparently had broken into the
back door and sneaked upstairs where my friend had gone. She screamed
and ran at them (they didn't expect that, according to the police) and
ended up a tad freaked out in a vocal sort of way (well, she had been a
music major to begin with...) In the meantime, I was dealing with this
odd suicidal fellow and his friends when all of a sudden they said 'ok,
we can take him from here' and all of them disappeared. I thought it
was strange but I was tired so didn't think beyond that--and then went
inside where my friend was shaking. She asked if I had any idea what
had happened--and when I said 'no' and she told me.... *I* got cross.
Cranky. I DO try to not lose my temper...but I did. So, out I go--into
their garage (the police said if I had not done this, we could have
pressed charges but they suggested that since I did what I did [which
they also scolded me for doing as they said I was very lucky...hm...ha.
just stand in the way when I want to lecture...]) I began my
lecture--which included pushing them each up against the wall to make
sure they were paying attention...which they did...
Our other neighbors across the street called the police (I was pretty
cross) and came over--they are still very good friends even though none
of us live in that neighborhood any longer--and suggested to the guys
who didn't live there that they might want to leave and never come back
(I do not think they ever did) It was a bit peculiar as I was NOT the
one who had been attacked--but they had attacked someone under my
roof...and we are NOT put here on this planet to do such things. (as
well all of us know <g>)
It was a good thing that my knife collection was in boxes. It was a
good thing I didn't have a gun. Someone had suggested to me a while
before then that I 'get to know Kali', one of the Hindu goddesses and
perhaps I was channeling her a bit too much...or maybe it was the
westerns I used to read (I really liked Max Brand's books SO much better
than Zane Grey--though not the 'family connections' that we adored in
the Louis L' Amour books--hurt one of us and we'll come a runnin'
too...) Someone else told me that I was probably channeling all the
mothers in the world and that if they had raised a finger to me, that
they would have been raising a finger to their own mothers (that was for
our pseudo-psychologists). The maintenance guys who also lived in the
neighborhood and who knew both of us well thought it was
hysterical--glad we were okay and all--but simply had a hard time
imagining it.
The police thought the whole story was incredible. We were each 'okay',
they said, because we had done what was totally not expected. (Her
screaming and running straight at them and my...lecturing all the while
I was so so cross...caused them to freeze...)
It's why I dislike being 'tipped over the edge', maybe. I know what I'm
capable of...
If you are walking and you are scared--channel Kali. (or me...) But,
Kali is an awesome goddess...
Best,
Marlena
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