I
may be sitting here in the early evening sun talking comfortably
I
may be looking at your face and smiling
But
my control system is constantly on high alert.
My
ears filter the sounds drifting across the grassy patch
Monitoring
the sound of tennis ball on cricket bat
Scanning
the multitude of children’s voices
Seeking
out my own uniquely bonded source of sound emissions.
Once
I have tuned in to the correct frequency
I
check the pitch and tone for known deviations.
I
am an experienced, professional frequency monitoring operative
My data-banks have seen almost all known error codes before
My
early warning systems are highly developed.
While
I nod and chatter with the other parents
I
am alerted to a familiar pattern.
The
subject has left the safety of the green zone
The
reactor temperature is rising
Still
only level 4 but we’re in the amber zone
Rapid
escalation into the red zone can occur from this level.
Everybody
knows a nuclear meltdown is a nasty business
Collateral
damage spreads widely after such a cataclysmic event
So
like the slick professional trouble-shooter that I am
I
switch from happy parent to authority mode
I
move off the bench and approach the pitch.
There
are special codes to be used on occasions like this
Short,
sharp reminders at low pitch
Of
the outcome for the subject
Should
he continue his current trajectory.
The
subject responds by de-escalating one level
Operations
continue briefly while I return to the bench
But
that was just a preliminary rumble
Another
ball is thrown
The
main event is starting…
Warning
bells are going off
The
reactor is at level 6 now
The
core temperature is rising.
The
only way to prevent catastrophic failure now
Is a show of strength
A
reminder that an equal and opposite force exists
Failure
is not an option.
I
go into action, calmly and decisively
I
let the subject know that I have authority
And
will not tolerate any violation of the rules.
There
follows a minor explosion
The
cricket bat is aimed menacingly at the stumps
Then
flung to the ground.
The
subject runs off to the isolation and safety of a tree
Play
continues…
Whilst
monitoring my charge safely defusing at a distance
I
become aware of hostile forces nearby
Another
parent is speaking about my intervention
Using
humour to disguise what they see as my over-reaction.
But
they are ignorant of the procedures.
They
do not know about the risks of an autistic child in nuclear meltdown
They
do not know that I may have just saved their child’s life
A
minor explosion safely releases pent up energy
In
nuclear mode that cricket bat would have become a lethal weapon
I
will step in with appropriate force again
Don’t
judge me!
I
am an expert on this subject
The
subject is my child.
Lady Satellite
No comments:
Post a Comment