outpouring: A pouring out, overflow; (chiefly in non-material sense and pl.) fervid expression of feelings, in words and writing...
Last night, coming home, tired but content after a long and busy week, looking forward to spending a pleasant, light-hearted evening in with my family, waiting at the bus stop for the final link home, after walk/train/train...
what terrible provenance, what alarming syncronicity...
Only the other day I was writing my fun-poem - 'A manual of digital dexterity' (check blog from last week). This was a heart-felt prayer of gratitude and celebration for the gift of our hands, which perform endless miracles of servitude and practical self-help to all of us on a permanent basis...
Lo and behold I could not have known what vision of horror I was to face only days later... |
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Head immersed in thought, gathering dusk and a slight chill cascading across the dusty pavement, I happened to glance up mid-thought and recoiled in surprise, shock and horror...
This man was struggling with his mobile, trying to put it to his ear. Both his hands were...missing.
Both of his arms ended three-quarters of the way down from his elbows, two dark brown stumps of flesh; he had his small phone rested on the stump end and he deftly put this to his ear, using his other stump to hold the back of it, so that it would not fall. The phone kept slipping, but miraculously never fell to the ground. He kept at it, trying again and again to put it to his ear...
The cruelty of this world sometimes is beyond comprehension. This could not have been an accident, losing your hands in this way. This must have been a cynical act of violence and terror - intimidation, retribution, no doubt.
People rushing about, pretending not to notice; two ladies, moaning next to me about the lateness of the bus....
A frisson of fear and also immense admiration swept through me like wild fire...this guy was coping so well, so un-bothered by his plight, so 'normal....'
I tried to imagine what his life could possibly be like...no hands for God's sake!!
No hands, how could he do anything for himself? Imagine: brushing teeth, dressing, eating, working, writing, scratching an itch, embracing/ caressing, hailing, bowing, shaking hands, toileting, opening the door, ANY PHYSICAL ACT...
What a horror, what an affliction, yet there he was, large as life, getting on with it..
I cry inside at the unspeakable act of barbarity that caused this and the mercilessness of human action that could even think to deprive a man of his hands...
And yet, so much love beauty and compassion exists side by side.
What bravery, what courage and fortitude this person manifested at that urban bus stop at commuter hour last night..
Lest we take anything for granted , this story at least will make us grateful for the immense priviledge most of us have for the gift of our limbs...with bows
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November 2009 
siafu
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