Plays Well With Words

I love words. I once told my parents that words were my toys. Sadly I suppressed the little girl in me as I grew up, and I miss her. She looked at the world and didn’t see parking lot dirt in plastic Superbowl cups, goldenrod, willow bushes. She saw tea in a china cup (but mom didn’t), gold leaf confetti, secret rooms and leafy passages.

She was right about words. They, like toys, are bright. They are all the colors in the crayon box. Words sparkle, build, tumble, sing. They bring a purple-geranium pop to a boring porch railing.

But now, being not 6 but 26, I know that words are not always like toys. Sometimes they break or cut or slap or topple the tower of blocks just when you’ve built it higher than ever. Sometimes they pinch the corners of your eyes with hot tears; or they dig a dark hole for you to hide in.

The reason for today’s post is to remind myself and anyone reading that words are powerful – even one can conjure an ethereal mind picture complete with subtlest blending of shades and colors that fades around the edges of memory. And it’s refreshing in a world of adult thoughts and adult words to play for a moment:

Rainbow

Rainbow is walking into the ice cream shop at the farm when I’m 6, and I see the paper ice cream cones hanging from the ceiling, and the air is sweet-cold and I ask dad if I can please, just this once, order the bubble gum kind. Rainbow is the thick, perfect crust of sprinkles on top of the cone and feeling the tinyness of each one on my tongue…

Play with me!