I’ve been a wordphiliac for a very long time. I remember tearing open my birthday gifts on my 9th birthday to find a copy of “Where the Sidewalk Ends” by Shel Silverstein. I couldn’t have been happier to receive that collection of poems even as my cousins taunted me for being such a nerd. In their world, a little kid who got a book as a gift was not happy about it.
I’m remembering that day, because April is National Poetry Month. And I remembering the poem the book was titled after.
Where the Sidewalk Ends
And before the street begins,
And there the grass grows soft and white,
And there the sun burns crimson bright,
And there the moon-bird rests from his flight
To cool in the peppermint wind.
Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends.
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends.
Yes we’ll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And we’ll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know
The place where the sidewalk ends.
And I’m remembering searching for that place where the sidewalk ends where the world was different, better than the one I lived in. Where I could do anything and everything I wanted. Where kids ruled and there were no rules.
Needless to say, I never found the place where white grass grows but my search for the place where the sidewalk ends has not stopped, although my vision of it is a little different now. When you grow up believing in a place where the sidewalk ends it’s not so hard to imagine a place where every human is free and has access to clean water, education, and health care. A place where you can trust the food you eat and the air you breathe. A place where nature is respected and protected. A place where the dollar bill isn’t God and what’s on the inside matters more than the outside. Yeh, like a said, my vision of the place where the sidewalk ends is a little different now.
Words can change the world.
I believe in the power of positive thoughts and words. I respect words and I choose them very carefully because unlike some believe, I know that they are more than just words.
The above video is an interview with Japanese author, Masaru Emoto who claims to have concrete evidence of just how powerful words are. I hope you find this as thought provoking as I did. Enjoy the video. I’m off to buy some jars.
I do a bit of woolgathering. Ok, a lot a bit of woolgathering. Hey, I’m an only child. And sometimes all I had was my woolgathering to keep me entertained. My woolgathering could take me anywhere, even out of this galaxy or back in time. My woolgathering made me princess, ninja, and a pony.
Woolgathering my fellow wordphiliacs is indulgence in idle imagination or a foolish pursuit. You should try it sometimes.
I am reading “The Great Train Robbery” by Michael Chrichton. Normally I would not read this kind of book. It just didn’t appeal to me on any level. But I’ve joined a book club and this is this month’s selection and so I unenthusiastically started this book. And you know what? It’s a pretty good book so far. I have a hard time putting it down actually.
Not only can Mr. Chrichton weave a story like nobody’s business but he peppers it with rich words. I’ve had to reach for my dictionary a few times with this one and I loved every minute of it.
I came across the word gammon several times and not wanting to break the flow of my reading (I was at a really, really, really good part) I took my best guess and kept on reading.
Turns out gammon is meat cut from the thigh of a hog and it is usually smoked. Needless to say I was way off.
Naturally the wordphiliac in me began to make a connection between the word gammon and another word (the hint is in the picture posted above). Can guess what it is?
Oh, and one more question, did anybody miss me?
Dr. Suess was born on this day in 1904. And I don’t have to mention how he revolutionized children’s books along with their imagination. The very first memory I have is of reading a Dr. Suess book with my mother. My very first recollection of my life starts with thee wordphiliac himself.
Some wordphiliacs, or word nerds, as we are sometimes called might be interested in knowing that Dr. Suess is credited with inventing the word nerd. The word nerd first appeared in Dr. Suess’ “If I Ran the Zoo” in 1950.
Even more interesting, is behind the simple rhymes and wild characters, it is said that Dr. Suess not only hid his morals to his stories (he said a kid could smell a moral a mile away) but he has been accused of sliding in his world views. It is suggested that “Marvin K. Mooney Please go Now” is about president Nixon. His character Yertle the turtle was said to represent Hitler. “The Butter Battle Book” was pulled from the shelves of libraries because of the war messages and reference of the cold war.
Think it’s hype? Think it’s people just looking to far into things? Think people are always looking for a good conspiracy? Well why don’t you pick up some of your favorite Dr. Suess books and read them to child and see if things sound a little differently to you now.
After all, it is Read Across Amercia Day. A day that generates enthusiasm for reading and all of its benefits, celebrated on the birthday of the most befitting man.
Happy Birthday Dr. Suess. You made my imagination run loose. And helped to create in every way the wordphiliac that you see to day.
lol- Hey, there is only one Dr. Suess
The New Orleans Saints pulled off their very first Super Bowl win yesterday. I am not a football fan but I can appreciate wanting something so bad and finally getting it. Go Saints!
The game itself has a very interesting beginning. Football can be traced back to A.D 43, to a game called harpastum. Harpastum was a very violent and bloody game. Players (sometimes hundreds) in a free-for-all would attempted to kick, butt, or throw an air filled bladder into their opponents goal. The goal was sometimes more than a mile away. Eventually, boundaries and rules were added and the game became known as fut balle. There were many attempts to ban the game. Needless to say that never happened and fut ball developed into rugby which then became the American football we know today.
What? Why are you looking at that picture like that? What’s wrong with being a little interspecific? The above picture is an artist’s creative vision of an interspecific animal. A dog and human to be exact. Personally looks more like a pig to me.
Interspecific, my fellow wordphiliacs, means being of two species.
Today’s word comes from the urban dictionary. The word pac-manning means to drive down the middle lane of a highway/street, over the painted white lines, resembling Pac Man eating pellets. Pretty cool huh?
Recently in a private meeting, Rahm Emanuel, the white house chief of staff said that the strategy of liberal democrats was “fucking retarded”. Rahm Emanuel is notorious for his in private potty mouth. But when he used the word retarded he created a mini-firestorm fueled mainly by politics. Sarah Palin, former candidate for the Vice Presidency and mother of a down syndrome infant, charged the attack on Emanuel. Emanuel apologized and I’m wondering why.
Just so we’re clear, no one got offended and the word “fucking” which by all standards is a ‘bad’ word. The offense came from the word ‘retarded’, which some felt was disrespectful to people with intellectual handicaps, of whom none were present.
How did a perfectly good word like retarded turn bad? It is a word that describes the mental development of person, animal, or idea. The word is not politically incorrect. In fact, the word retarded in this instance, correctly and precisely expressed Emanuel’s idea. But let’s for a second pretend that it is offensive. How is it possible to offend someone who is not present? It’s not.
Now, let’s talk about the word retard. The word retard is not an offensive word when pronounced (ra-tard). For example, you could say, I think being overly politically correct retards our ability to grow. The word retard is (according to the powers that be) an offensive and derogatory word when pronounced (ree-tard). You don’t really need it used in a sentence do you?
This post was not to encourage people to use potentially offensive words. This post was not political. This post was in defense of words, which I love. And since they can’t defend themselves, I will.
But words are things, and a small drop of ink,
Falling, like dew, upon a thought, produces
That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think.
-Lord Byron
And make millions think is exactly what J.D Salinger did with his 1951 novel “The Catcher in the Rye”. I would have a loved see a world filled with more of his work, but genius is a fragile thing. I have often wondered why those who have the ability to touch the soul of us; who understand humanity so thoroughly, whither in the presence of those very same souls, that very same humanity.
There is talk, as there always is after the death of an artist, about unseen work. They say there might even be a vault filled with unpublished writings. If this stash does exist, I hope they never get their greedy, self-serving, grave-robbing hands on it. Would I like to read some previously unpublished work by J.D Salinger- Yes, that goes without saying. What I would like more, is to respect the wishes of man who gave us more in one book than many others have in ten.
That one book made me and I’m sure countless others see themselves and the world a little different. Goodbye, Mr. J.D Salinger you made us think.
