avatarLucy Dan 蛋小姐 (she/her/她)

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Abstract

   </div><p id="7ad7">It reminded me of how it wasn’t until recently that I learned about the concept of community healing or the strength within the community to find support. I grew up in cities where we barely knew our neighbours.</p><p id="9809">Yet over time, I heard African quotes like <i>it takes a village to raise a kid </i>and saw the power of healing with the support of extended communities. I just watched My Neighbour Totoro, where two young girls are concerned about their mothers’ health as she was hospitalized.</p><p id="6b8f">Sure, the whole premise is that Totoro, a magical fluffy being, is one of the neighbours who stepped in and helped them connect with their mother. Magic aside, the whole community, including the neighbouring elderly lady and her grandson both extended kind gestures to help the girls feel comfortable while being home alone with their mother.</p><p id="e707">In Where the Crawdads Sing, though left to live alone at such a young age, Kya Clark (protagonist) was supported by her neighbours Jumpin’ and Mabel, who sought help from their church to get Kya clothing donations.</p><p id="ff85">These are all such interesting example of community support that helped support the safety and growth of a child. This is particularly interesting to me as I grew up in an era where “stranger danger” narratives were strong as child kidnappings happened in the community.</p><p id="db2d">Taking away that trust of those around us really shaped a different trajectory for me than for any of these stories I’ve watched o

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r read about.</p><p id="8661">I’m so curious to hear about other people’s thoughts on this!</p><p id="7614">Hi I’m <a href="undefined">Lucy Dan 蛋小姐 (she/her/她)</a> and I like to write poems to share all the bazillion thoughts that dance through my head in the day.</p><p id="2da6"><b><i>Hop down the rabbit hole? 🐰🕳</i></b></p><div id="91cb" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/the-bathroom-at-my-first-scientific-conference-473f5aa3944b"> <div> <div> <h2>The bathroom at my first scientific conference</h2> <div><h3>a perspective shift; a poem.</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*IcMZZAsNnTLKDLy-gpIikQ.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="0afc" class="link-block"> <a href="https://bkwrites.medium.com/injustice-anywhere-85fcfc56107a"> <div> <div> <h2>Injustice Anywhere</h2> <div><h3>Why antiracism cannot be fully complete without Black and Asian-American solidarity.</h3></div> <div><p>bkwrites.medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*bc1d4wjDU_HyjzbV)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div></article></body>

Neighbourly Love

a poem

Photo by Raychan on Unsplash

a city girl having lived my life barely knowing my neighbours

I learned of sayings like it takes a village to raise a kid

and stories where neighbours step in to help and guide families in need.

in communities we truly heal.

Tangentially related to R. Rangan PhD’s original poetry prompt piece, discussing how grandmothers (or elders in the community) pitching in for caregiving helped the survival of our species.

It reminded me of how it wasn’t until recently that I learned about the concept of community healing or the strength within the community to find support. I grew up in cities where we barely knew our neighbours.

Yet over time, I heard African quotes like it takes a village to raise a kid and saw the power of healing with the support of extended communities. I just watched My Neighbour Totoro, where two young girls are concerned about their mothers’ health as she was hospitalized.

Sure, the whole premise is that Totoro, a magical fluffy being, is one of the neighbours who stepped in and helped them connect with their mother. Magic aside, the whole community, including the neighbouring elderly lady and her grandson both extended kind gestures to help the girls feel comfortable while being home alone with their mother.

In Where the Crawdads Sing, though left to live alone at such a young age, Kya Clark (protagonist) was supported by her neighbours Jumpin’ and Mabel, who sought help from their church to get Kya clothing donations.

These are all such interesting example of community support that helped support the safety and growth of a child. This is particularly interesting to me as I grew up in an era where “stranger danger” narratives were strong as child kidnappings happened in the community.

Taking away that trust of those around us really shaped a different trajectory for me than for any of these stories I’ve watched or read about.

I’m so curious to hear about other people’s thoughts on this!

Hi I’m Lucy Dan 蛋小姐 (she/her/她) and I like to write poems to share all the bazillion thoughts that dance through my head in the day.

Hop down the rabbit hole? 🐰🕳

Poetry
Community Healing
Community
Neighbours
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