The Rock Collector

[Cate]

The Rock Collector

Gabriel collects his rocks,
each one weighed so carefully.
He pauses a moment
to place his fingers
between the sun and his eyes,

with a slight twist of his hand
he transforms the light.
It is his light and he
alone controls what it does.
His attention returns to the rocks
and he sits legs splayed open on

cold pavement.
In bare feet
he fills his empty shoe
with the best quality stones.
The ones that will sound just right
for this, his one man orchestra.

(tidied up slightly - will come back to it a little later)

original
What you don’t see

Gabriel collects his rocks
Each one weighed so carefully
He pauses a moment
To place his fingers
Between the sun and his eyes

With a slight twist of his hand
He transforms the light
It’s his light – just his
And he controls what it does
He remembers his rocks and sits
Legs splayed open on the ground

His feet are bare
He fills his empty shoe
With the best quality stones
The ones that will sounds just right
In his one man orchestra

[lazariuk]

What you don’t see

He remembers his rocks and sits
Legs splayed open on the ground

What made you think he forgot them?

[Cate]

Your right Jack, I strongly suspect he didn't.

[lazariuk]

Your right Jack, I strongly suspect he didn't.

Hi Cate

I think about Gabriel a little bit. I don't know him other than what you have said about him. I have a hunch which might be an intuition that there is something about your sensitivity to groups of seven and nine that connects you to him in a way that might go a lot deeper.

Because of you i learned that there is a rule that people remember things in a 7 plus or minus two way and also that some austistic people break those rules like Rainman who is way off in the thousands or tens of thousands.

I was trying to imagine how different someones appearence and actions would be if instead of way off they were just a little off. Like instead of 7 plus or minus two they were at 14 plus or minus two. I wonder if with Gabriel's love of collections there could be a way to figure out what number his brain uses to group things into memory. I had this thought before and didn't say much about it but because you brought forward again what he may or may not be remembering I thought I would mention it again.

[Cate]

I think about Gabriel a little bit. I don't know him other than what you have said about him. I have a hunch which might be an intuition that there is something about your sensitivity to groups of seven and nine that connects you to him in a way that might go a lot deeper.

A speech therapist once said to me "I think we're all 10% autistic." Now of course that's not a true statement but what she meant by it I think rings true. Most of us have times when we perseverate on something or experience feeling of social awkwardness ...

My seven and nine thing might be an example of that - In fact I have a few hiccups that might be an example. To be honest I don't really know I connect with Gabriel other then the fact that he lets me.

Memory and the rocks - I wish I had the ability to take a closer look at this. I never thought to count how many rocks go into a shoe - although when I think about the number seems to change at least the level of rocks in his shoe changes.

Just to babble on about the rocks- I doubt this would be of mush interest to anyone but me - I think my interest in his interest in the rocks was almost as strong as his interest in the rocks - okay I'm exaggerating a bit. I could never figure out how to pick a good rock. There is a pattern to how he choices I just can't figure it out. Whenever I see him I still try to pick out a good rock for him but my picking skills have deteriorated and rarely to I pick a good one.

Memory - I can only speak from my experience - yes some types of memory seem to be stronger in people with Autism - Dates- Times - Music - Patterns - remembering small details - like when I change a detail in a story. Other things seem trickier for people to remember - things that are language based or abstract in some way including emotions.

[William]

Perhaps he "got his rocks off"?

[lazariuk]

My seven and nine thing might be an example of that - In fact I have a few hiccups that might be an example.

Maybe you can figure out why I once hiccuped for seven day straight non stop.

[Cate]

By hiccup I meant glitch - one of which is I sometimes get stuck on something - a thought or an idea - maybe your body got stuck on having hiccups.

[Manna]

my sister and I were once talking about how we recognize and quickly count groups of things. She said that she can see two and three things and mentally count that way. I said that I can see four and five too, but that it takes a bit more effort to see five as five and not as 2 + 3. She thought that might be why I was better than she at math. I can see seven, but I only see it a 3 + 4 unit, not as a whole singular unit of seven. She said that five for her was a 2 + 3 unit, not a five on its own unit.

What is this idea that we hold things in our heads in sevens? I don't get that.

[lazariuk]

What is this idea that we hold things in our heads in sevens? I don't get that.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Magica ... _Minus_Two

[Manna]

That's interesting. Using the die analogy, I got up to 41 (25 + 16, or 5x5 + 4x4). Complete patterns are easier than incomplete ones; 41 is easier than 37, and 37 is easier than 35.

I tried to do 49 (7x7), but I couldn't see it as 7s, only as 3+4. If I could have done 49, I would have been able to do 85. But 6 is 3 + 3, like on the die. The biggest I can go is 5. But it's fun to play. I forgot how fun it was to be a math head.

In my work, we have these things called 96-well plates. These are kind of like 96 tiny test tubes all stuck together in an 8 x 12 arrangement. Getting up to four as a unit has been helpful in keeping things straight with these. We also have 384-well plates, 24 x 16. I have to think of those as 4 96-well plates.

[Cate]

one of my first attempts at writing a poem.
I think you always start with things/people that mean a great deal to you and Gabriel meant a lot to me. He died yesterday. There won't be a funeral but there are many people who are missing him today and this morning I heard some very funny and wonderful stories featuring Gabe (Gabriel to me) and some of his antics. He was loved and he will be missed.

[Violet]

Cate.. I'm sorry to hear of your friend's death.. my sense, from your poem, was that he was in some manner different, and well loved.. and so it's rather wonderful to have this little poem now..

with love,
v i o l e t xx x

[Cate]

Thank you Violet.

[Alsiony]

Cate, thanks for this, it is very touching and thought-provoking, as is reading back on the thread itself.
Never mind how anyone might personally view what happens when someone leaves this lifetime, knowing a person and exploring, feeling and celebrating the inspiration they give you, amongst other things, is truly wonderful - both in life and in death I think.
I hope you are at peace with his passing.
A
xx