Mythopoesis 29 – A Ribbon of Words

For NaPoWriMo  Day 29

A Ribbon of Words

Earlier, I said that words
are a ribbon that may
become a skein of poetry.

Have you ever seen someone
pick up the end of a thread
of yarn and begin to wind it
over, under, and around itself,
creating a skein of yarn that
might become a sweater, a
shawl, or a blanket that keeps
you warm in the cold of winter?

Poets do a similar thing. They
collect words, like bits of yarn,
wind them together, then knit
them into a poem. With enough
words they might create a skein
of poetry that can change the way
we see our world: how it works,
and our own place and purpose
within that world.

A man* once said that words
are magic, and that they retain
that magic even to this day. Think
how a kind word, spoken in one
moment, might keep an inner glow
of warmth for years after. Might
change the course of a life headed
toward self-destruction, might become
a hand of support in a time of need.

Another man**, a poet, showed us how
taking the time to mend fences, can
make two who might have been enemies,
open the door to potential friendship. Yet
another poet, this time a woman***, helped
us to understand that by celebrating that
person we are always becoming, we
thwart that which has the power
to maim, kill, or destroy us.

Magicians allow us to see a different
perspective. They awaken that sense
of wonder that dwells deep within
our own being. Redefine our world
by raising our conscious awareness
that things, and people, are not always
what they seem to be. Poets, when they
unwind that thread, that ribbon of words,
do the same.

I will be back tomorrow. I want you to go
home and think of Maliah’s poem that
was a kitten, bouncing and pouncing
because it wanted to know, to learn,
and to grow. Then write about all
the things a poem might be.

Elizabeth Crawford 4/29/15

Notes: *Sigmund Freud
**Robert Frost
***Lucille Clifton

Tomorrow is the last day of NaPoWriMo. This myth-making experiment has been an uncanny experience for me. One I have enjoyed and learned from. I have been without my own computer throughout the month, and have been dependent on my daughter’s willingness to share her puter with me. I do have news about that. It looks like I might have a brand new computer within the next few weeks. Keep your fingers crossed? I am only hoping soon.