Words linger in silence
Just outside my reach.
Once easily they popped to me,
Now, those damn words will
Scamper and bound away.
#//=&$
Perhaps what scares me most
Is when the words pause in mid sentence,
Leaving my brain
To scramble through the files there,
Searching for the right words.
Words,
words, words.
Words that
sing and shout.
Words that fly
about.
Zing, zap, and
zoom.
Winging
their way with wonder
Denying grasps, causing gasps
Written in 1971, at college during teacher training.
A writer in a hazy world
Is a sad writer.
How we all fear that loss of words that sometimes comes with age. Words are our lifeline.
ReplyDeleteIt has been a fear of mine for several years.
DeleteGreat poem and even more relevant as we age, right?
ReplyDeleteIt is so frustrating.
DeleteSigh. I HATE that feeling. And it terrifies me.
ReplyDeleteOf all the health issues which come my way, I am terrified to lose my words.
DeleteOne of the things I miss most about my mother is when one of us would be writing. The perfect word to convey what we were tying to say. The one writing would call the other and we would toss words back and forth until one of us came up with it. I can't do that with anyone else.
ReplyDeleteShe was a gift, very in tune with her daughter.
DeleteSometimes finding the right words is harder than one would think.
ReplyDeleteWhen those words elude me, I tell my husband that I am having a word day. That tells him where my brain is.
Delete"Just outside my reach." And it's always the word that explains everything you're talking about. Someone's name, the name of a town, the name of the medical procedure you just had, etc.
ReplyDeleteYes! Always the main word. Then I try to cover for that.
DeleteYeah, I lose words all the time. Especially in front of classes. Helpfully, they'll sometimes provide the word I'm searching for.
ReplyDeleteIt can be embarrassing.
DeleteYeah, I am there. As I type some times I use xxxxx until I think of the word that ran away.
ReplyDeleteLosing words writing is bad, but TERRIBLE and embarrassing in normal conversation when a word just flies by, but not long enough for you to use it and it is GONE. I hope to do better or at least learn to lie with it without the accompanying 'self-whipping.'
Sherry & jack looking for words...
You wrote it well.
DeleteA hazy world... well put.
ReplyDeleteSo true.
DeleteI have a couple of dictionaries close by, so whenever I can't remember a word I'll look up the closest thing my mind produces. Unless my mind produces nothing, then I'll do something else instead, like watch TV or water the pot plants. The word comes eventually.
ReplyDeleteYou said it all.
DeleteThis was beautifully written Susan. I often say I write in edit mode. I have trouble writing a sentence without changing it a bit as I edit it. This was well done, dear.
ReplyDeleteThanks. Edit mode, good descrition.
DeleteI'll have a good idea for a blog post and later when I decide to write I can't think of what words I had easily rambled in my mind earlier! I remember when my Uncle struggled to communicate when he was battling Alzheimer's. A fear many of us have as we age.
ReplyDeleteI have had a neurological exam and migraines are responsible for my problems. I am sorry for your Uncle. That is in everyone's struggles.
DeleteI have several journals around my zone.
Especially if they're a writer at heart and really want to get those words on paper. :) Here to wish you a happy day. :)
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy your blog posts!
DeleteTeaching?
Yes! I had a great year last year...totally made up for that rotten one before. ;) I quit you know, but my mom got very sick (we went out of state to be with her) and Covid hit which made it hard to interview anywhere so I asked for that teaching spot back. Thankfully, my principal is amazing and said yes. :)
DeleteWriter's block can be a problem. Whisky helps.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Hm. Whisky?
DeleteRemembering words gets harder every day.
ReplyDeleteYes, they elude me on some days!
Delete