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Poem
Once upon a time a gymnast teacher told a girl, 
and all her classmates, 
to gather round 
to spot the student currently bouncing 
on the trampoline. 

They circled 
to volunteer a ring of imperfectly rhythmed
but positively patterned
intent to help, 
should the witnessed bounce go horribly 
accidentally wrong.

This same request for a spot was one familiar to this same girl, 
and these same classmates, 
when they were bench pressing at the gym, 
not because the teacher asked, 
but because the fully abled weight lifter asked 
if they could work out together, 
and spotting each other during the bench press 
was simply Standard ReAssurance Operating Procedure 
for humane care givers 
and receivers.

Anyway, 
the unfortunate bounder 
bounced sideways when one of her knees gave out 
and she came flying directly toward our spotter 
who did her very best to get out of the way, 
to go to the other side of the street, 
to walk on by, 
to pull out her cellphone camera 
to get it all delightfully or mournfully recorded
for more proper punishing authorities.

The teacher was 
(1) concerned for the wounded 
splattered girl on the matted 
and yet still not inviting
floor, and 
(2) furious with the spotter turned distant recorder. 
 
When the classroom administrator asked, "Why?" 
the girl said her father told her not to touch others 
at risk of injury 
on their way down 
because she might be liable for post-touch injury 
and, besides, it's not like she's going to be financially rewarded 
should she be successful with mitigating harm, 
so, there is no "on the other hand" potential reward system
worth mentioning.

It's the same reason she, 
and those witnesses huddled 
in a supportive constellation around her, 
pulled out her star-gazing
witnessing camera 
while George Floyd struggled to "I can't breathe" communicate 
while being deliberately suffocated 
to overpower him when he was already down, 
and about to blink
wink out.

The liability attorneys
and corporate accident insurance actuaries 
get paid bigger bucks to tell front-line administrators 
why touch 
and help 
and prescriptions 
and medical procedures should be denied, 
because the risk of trying to care for each other, 
when it just isn't enough, 
is a last touch liability. 
 
And, on the other hand, 
there is no reward for the person, 
the agency, 
the health care giving and receiving 
reassurance win/win anticipating
corporate system 
doesn't economically 
cooperatively exist.  
Compassion doesn't pay--
it just regenerates more health care risk 
and personal star witness liability.  

Care giving, 
especially for those who have already sustained transparent 
vulnerable losses 
in their compromised physical and mental health lives, 
is responsible for first and last caring touch of hand and voice 
every day, 
every custody minute of co-operative care, 
whether standing behind, 
in best-effort solidarity, 
or standing nearby, 
spotting each win/win collaborative constellation, 
reassuring wounded OtherStars.

Care giving opportunities, 
health care spotting for each other, pays poorly, 
when compared with what star corporate liability insurance attorneys 
and accountants 
use to buy second homes; 
sometimes including financial bonuses 
for successfully avoiding any realistic possibility of harm,
unnecessary financial loss. 

Care giving with active compassion 
bears a long patriarchal tradition of being feminist underpaid  
to relieve cameras up, 
but hands and eyes down, 
deflect, 
stand back, 
don't get involved--
are not politically disempowering
run-away capitalist actions and inactions.

Potential financial risk for helping to prevent further harm, 
for doing your win/win best, 
for cooperatively investing in all sacred stars, 
for health care compassion, 
for nurturing at-risk humanity in the face of immediate injury, 
wounds, 
losses, 
suffering, 
especially falling risk to marginalized persons of color, 
it doesn't pay well to the left brain dominant 
patriarchal corporate 
win/lose zero-sum mind--
but really is what life is all about, 
at its most invigorating compassionate best chance 
of win/win solidarity success 
to right brain feminist 
constellations of empowering hearts.
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