Deborah! Wow. You turn language into new and beautiful shapes. Tongues are lined up just to twist into the spaces you create between the words, around the words and through the words! I often wonder if a wise green witch created the alphabet just how many letters there would be? In the end, you are making magic out of words. It’s a better alphabet with you creating, and sharing 🙏❤️
Jamie, your words feel like a spell woven in kindness. Thank you so much for seeing the magick in mine. Hmm, if the green witch shaped the alphabet she would now (mainly thanks to you!) be leaving spaces for the unsaid, where meaning breathes between each letter.
I didn't really 'get' words until I was around nine, when I discovered the alphabet and was completely mesmerised. I remember sitting there, eyes going up and down, gathering letters, spinning them into nonsensical words, lost in a golden hour of discovery.
Sometimes when we write it's a lot of fun, this was one of those times. 'The Alphabet Versus the Goddess' by Leonard Shlain is one amazing, inspirational book! 🙏❤️
Oh Veronika, I'm ab-soul-utely thrilled that you enjoyed this one! I remember during one of our 'language' conversations I mentioned writing a poem about 'word and image' and so this one's very much for you! Shlain's book was pure inspiration, for within moments, he had me reaching for poetry's pen.
But more than anything, it all began with the photo above. That moment changed the way I wrote forever as I started placing images on the empty page, 'marrying' them in a way that felt instinctive. And, having married a photographer in life, I feel like I'm deeply honouring that connection in my life.
Thanks so much for inspiring me these past four months with your own love of language, deep explorations and fearless excavations of meaning. Long may they continue! 🙏❤️
Yes, the marrying of images and words is important to me too, and I can feel and see that connection between your work and mine...
Although I'm not a photographer (or visual artist) and neither married to one, I always spend a lot of time on 'Unsplash' where thousands of talented photographers are offering their work (mostly for free) and the least I can do is honour their work, by offering some of them a little publicity, wherever an image is a good match with my writings. So, yes, I feel that connection is really important.
Thank you in return, for honouring my work and spinning those threads of meaning ~ with love and memory ~ to and fro. Indeed, let's make it a long coiling thread! 🙏❤️
Thank you so much for your heartfelt words, Veronika! Yes, let's make it a long, coiling one! It's funny (wrong word) how one day 'word and image' married each other. Suddenly clicking into place, just like that. I mean, it was kind of obvious but I didn't see it before. Today, only when I have the image, do words join in. 🙏❤️
The joy of writing this one came from reading Shlain's excellent book, discovering Polat's beautiful photo and finding a way to 'marry' them both. Thanks so much for your kind and thoughtful reply, Kristi. So pleased to know that life's settling down for you and Lee. <3
Gorgeous!! If any Goddess could write that book, it would be you. Goddess, you DO transfer your art into words that sound as beautiful as love!!!
I pray and proclaim this as your own words as affirmation, my Sister, that you can write your own destiny, and heal and pen the destiny of those before and after us.
Sweet girl, if I hear doubt in your pen about your own voice, I banish it to the four corners of the Earth. Unbound. Unbound. Forever unbound. Make it so! Make it so! Make it so! XO
Danielle, your kind and thoughtful words are like fire and light - a blessing, a proclamation, a powerful affirmation. I feel them deeply and I hold them close. Thank you so very much!
You remind me that writing isn't just ink on paper - it is legacy, transformation, healing across generations. Your voice lifts, unbinds and calls me forward. I receive it with gratitude.
From this day forward, there will be no doubt, no hesitation - only the steady rhythm of words carrying forward what was, what is, what will be. Make it so! Make it so! Make it so!
Reflecting on our earlier conversations about my parents ‘marriage of word and image’ - and my own - I now feel an even deeper understanding. What a gift to the world you are! XO
With you, sweets, it is NOT just ink on paper. You are writing from your beautiful feminine heart and Soul. Coupled with your gifts as a Seer and a deep feeler, your words ARE powerful! Have no doubts about that. Your words ARE legacy. They ARE healing. They ARE transformative.
If ever you are in doubt, I will stand up and cheer you on! LOUDLY!! I believe in you. "Once you are real, you can't become unreal again. It lasts for always." - Margery Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit
I could hardly believe my eyeballs when I read this, knowing the conversation we had just had about marriages of word and image!
You, darling beauty, are exactly where you are supposed to be. Don't stop! XO
You gently nudge me to remember the first time I read that beautiful quote by Margery Williams and how I wept. You're my inspiration and spurs! A thousand blessings, and then a thousand more! Namaste, my dear friend, namaste XO
Thanks so much for letting me know you loved this one, Jo. As is often the case in my stories and poems, the ending emerges from a dream, where The Great Mother's hand descended from the sky and lifted me up. 🙏❤️
I read your post yesterday, twice and again today, trying to find a reaction other than my mouth falling wide open, struck by how your soul arranged the letters just so -- a conversation with soul, so worth the capture because it spoke not singularly of you, but of all women who begin their days with pen, paper and a candle flame. Soul the mother, soul the father, soul the rising whispers that reach high and root deep. I'm awe struck. Moon-mad and humbled by the authentic unfolding of such fleeting grace. Inspiration and gratitude fill my pockets now as I begin my day with the echos of your soul conversation. Write on, sister. Write on!
Oh wow! I'm so delighted that you enjoyed this poem, Stephanie! Thank you so much for your return reads and for holding space for it. Indeed, it was a conversation between poet and soul (Active Imagination). If you haven’t already come across 'The Alphabet Versus the Goddess' by Leonard Shlain, I highly recommend it. Without exaggeration, that book of his changed how I write and view language. His 'herstory' about language is mind-blowing!
I love how you describe women throughout history beginning their day with a pen in hand. Some by candlelight, others, like myself, beside a window, watching Father Sun caress each leaf in the garden with kindness. Most mornings, I start writing around 6 a.m. It’s easy in summer, though in winter, I shiver at times, waiting for the house to warm up and light to arrive. We have a noisy old heating system, so I wait an hour or so before I switching it on.
Deborah, I loved how you modeled active imagination. I'm currently plodding through The Red Book. Also, upon your recommendation, I purchased "The Alphabet Versus the Goddess. It should arrive today. Thank you for sharing that. Sending you love, hugs and as always, goodwill.
Oh, I haven't read Jung's Red Book for years and years, so thanks for the gentle nudge. Well Stephanie, you're going to ab-soul-utley love 'The Alphabet Versus the Goddess' by Shlain, it's everything you could wish for in a book, and so much more. Love and blessings, always.
Taking those 26 fixed forms and transmuting them, like the alchemist's lead into gold, painting glorious pictures in the mind. The ultimate healing rebelion? Thanks for sharing.
Oh, wow! Now I understand the marriage you saw in my post, thank you. I’ve read this many times now, mostly between the words, searching for the shells of new letters.
I feel the feminine in your writing, the alchemical witch, more in "being" magick. I’ve always thought of boundaries only to move through them, even as a child, I would draw outside the lines and find joy where adults imposed rules on creating.
You’ve already reinvented the alphabet by writing your own way.
You shamanic poetess.
Thank you for this pearl of a post. Your voice is loud and clear: feminine, cosmic, true.
Wow! I do love this 'soul-chronicity' (a new word from Jamie last week) that so many of us share here on Substack. I love how we inspire each other and so when I read your beautiful and brilliant post earlier, I thought to myself after I'd finished - just look at Katerina's own marriage of 'word and image' and how she's an artist, a photographer and a writer too. What a perfect balance, above and below, what an incredible alchemical marriage. Does she know, I wondered? Does she know how rich this way of being is, to not be one thing or the other but both? Thanks so much dear friend for the gift of your generous heart, lots of love, from the Alphabet's wife (thankfully, one of many!) 🙏❤️
Deborah, I wondered the same thing, does she know how beautiful her writing is? Thank you for the acknowledgment. We are in "soul-chronicity", and the mirror is everywhere. 🙏❤️
I'm just entering the era of my alchemical marriage of words with visuals and life, all sewn together. I've always longed to braid my life into something rich and balanced, as you are likely doing and being in your own way. Cheers for beautifully individuating day by day!
Aww, shucks! Bless you, dear Katerina for your goodness and goddessness! 🙏❤️
Like many, I didn't realise, that the philosopher's stone - the secret of alchemy - was about learning to 'marry' the opposites, to hold their tension without choosing one over the other, but embracing both. That's exactly what you do with your own marriage of word and image.
I'm there now too, always writing with an image or two beside me. I hope a little of this makes sense.
You'll laugh - after Jamie's 'bee' poem yesterday, I paused my new memoir story (where, naturally a bee had wandered in), to craft another tiny story; 'Poet as Bee'. I love how we all spark inspiration in each other. Thanks so much for this heart smile, for you presence, for simply bee-ing. ✨🐝💛
I have read that letters separated man from nature. Stole him away from the earth mother and placed him within logics frame. Led him to see perfection in his thinking rather than in nature. Thus the fall.
I love all the myths and stories about 'language' and the ones you share resonate deeply. Thanks so much for reading and for the gentle nudge, as I feel inspired to read more.
Shlain's book is just phenomenal; if you're interested in language, especially the alphabet and it's conflicts. His writing is not only brilliant but beautiful crafted and in that balance, I find the marriage of word and image so compelling.
This is just wonderful, Deborah. Your ability to find exquisitely beautiful and apt images for your blog posts has always inspired me. You certainly have a gift for that. I also discovered Shlain's extraordinary ground-breaking, stereotype-shattering book in the 90's at the recommendation of one of my students at the local Jung Center. It made me angry, but at the same time I was overjoyed to understand so much more about myself and the workings of my brain and how the written word has influenced societal stereotypes about the Feminine and women that it was also a relief. It made it easier for me to not take it personally. Thank you for this. It gives me a new perspective on my ego's attitude toward, and relationship with, my Animus.
Dear Jeanie, thank you so much for your thoughtful words and sharing these rich insights. Shlain’s book truly changed my writing life, and I completely understand all the emotions it stirred, it did in me too. That deep recognition alongside the challenge of confronting ingrained perspectives and the relief of seeing 'herstory' more clearly, was profound.
I’m so grateful it offered you new insights into your relationship with your Animus, and I deeply appreciate your reflections on this subject. Thanks again, my dear friend.
I hope all's well with you my dear friend and that each day brings you more strength and creativity. I can't wait to read your next post! Sending much love and light. xxx
Amazing! You have no choice but to surrender or be dragged like a squealing pig (an image that bring me back to Marion Woodman). Marion spoke often of surrendering to our destiny or being dragged like squealing pigs.
You are creating art out of your resistance, something so many women are doing in my country right now. I have to read this poem again a few times because I'm lost in it at the moment. I think of the beauty of Egyptian writing in hieroglyphs ruled by the goddess Seshat (not a god). Writing with images instead of words. Sending you love across the sea as I admire the blue of four bluebird eggs in a nesting box outside my office window.
Dear Elaine, Ha-Ha! I couldn't resist adding 'squealing like a pig' because that's the awful noise I make when I'm fed up with writing and stubbornly resisting the muse! What wonderful synchronicity with Marion, I love it!
Writing this poem back in 2018 changed the way I write. Instead of staring at a blank page, I started printing out an image, gluing it into my journal, and letting the image guide the words to me. Now, I can't begin writing unless I have an image or two around. Being married to a photographer certainly helps!
If you haven't read Leonard Shlain's book, I can highly recommend it. It's pure creative joy and a brilliant exploration of language and its conflicts.
And oh, how wonderful to have bluebirds nesting outside your office! Sending much love and light across the oceans and oak tops between us. Your poet friend, Deborah.
Hi Deborah, 26 letters blend to create a multitude of sound — of poetic song. How you weave those letters into beautiful meaning — with each poem, a song to bring all of us to our knees. 🙏 💜
Oh my goodness and goddess, I love hanging out with the Poets! Thanks so much Simone for your beautiful, poetic reply. These 26 letters bring so much joy to so many of our words and worlds. abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxy and z! (I just had to!) 🔤🙏 💜
"A song and dance of a poem jumping the broom!" I love that! Thank you so much, Philip. Yes, I believe so re phonemes, for there is none more ancient and timeless than the 'womb of time' where language gets passed down through countless generations. Wow, what a fascinating thought!
Deborah! Wow. You turn language into new and beautiful shapes. Tongues are lined up just to twist into the spaces you create between the words, around the words and through the words! I often wonder if a wise green witch created the alphabet just how many letters there would be? In the end, you are making magic out of words. It’s a better alphabet with you creating, and sharing 🙏❤️
Jamie, your words feel like a spell woven in kindness. Thank you so much for seeing the magick in mine. Hmm, if the green witch shaped the alphabet she would now (mainly thanks to you!) be leaving spaces for the unsaid, where meaning breathes between each letter.
I didn't really 'get' words until I was around nine, when I discovered the alphabet and was completely mesmerised. I remember sitting there, eyes going up and down, gathering letters, spinning them into nonsensical words, lost in a golden hour of discovery.
Sometimes when we write it's a lot of fun, this was one of those times. 'The Alphabet Versus the Goddess' by Leonard Shlain is one amazing, inspirational book! 🙏❤️
Wow!
The beauty and power of this piece (for me) lies in the double meaning of the word letter (in English)
»Why do his letters get to be so important?
Why do those 26 letters
have to be my guiding star?
“Let each letter awaken you,”
look for the lost letters of yourself.«
To claim those letters as our own
To write our own letters, to ourselves, our mothers, daughters, sisters...
Oh Veronika, I'm ab-soul-utely thrilled that you enjoyed this one! I remember during one of our 'language' conversations I mentioned writing a poem about 'word and image' and so this one's very much for you! Shlain's book was pure inspiration, for within moments, he had me reaching for poetry's pen.
But more than anything, it all began with the photo above. That moment changed the way I wrote forever as I started placing images on the empty page, 'marrying' them in a way that felt instinctive. And, having married a photographer in life, I feel like I'm deeply honouring that connection in my life.
Thanks so much for inspiring me these past four months with your own love of language, deep explorations and fearless excavations of meaning. Long may they continue! 🙏❤️
Yes, the marrying of images and words is important to me too, and I can feel and see that connection between your work and mine...
Although I'm not a photographer (or visual artist) and neither married to one, I always spend a lot of time on 'Unsplash' where thousands of talented photographers are offering their work (mostly for free) and the least I can do is honour their work, by offering some of them a little publicity, wherever an image is a good match with my writings. So, yes, I feel that connection is really important.
Thank you in return, for honouring my work and spinning those threads of meaning ~ with love and memory ~ to and fro. Indeed, let's make it a long coiling thread! 🙏❤️
Thank you so much for your heartfelt words, Veronika! Yes, let's make it a long, coiling one! It's funny (wrong word) how one day 'word and image' married each other. Suddenly clicking into place, just like that. I mean, it was kind of obvious but I didn't see it before. Today, only when I have the image, do words join in. 🙏❤️
I loved every bit of this, from the photo, to the quote by Virginia Woolf, to your beautiful poem. Thank you<3
The joy of writing this one came from reading Shlain's excellent book, discovering Polat's beautiful photo and finding a way to 'marry' them both. Thanks so much for your kind and thoughtful reply, Kristi. So pleased to know that life's settling down for you and Lee. <3
Gorgeous!! If any Goddess could write that book, it would be you. Goddess, you DO transfer your art into words that sound as beautiful as love!!!
I pray and proclaim this as your own words as affirmation, my Sister, that you can write your own destiny, and heal and pen the destiny of those before and after us.
Sweet girl, if I hear doubt in your pen about your own voice, I banish it to the four corners of the Earth. Unbound. Unbound. Forever unbound. Make it so! Make it so! Make it so! XO
Danielle, your kind and thoughtful words are like fire and light - a blessing, a proclamation, a powerful affirmation. I feel them deeply and I hold them close. Thank you so very much!
You remind me that writing isn't just ink on paper - it is legacy, transformation, healing across generations. Your voice lifts, unbinds and calls me forward. I receive it with gratitude.
From this day forward, there will be no doubt, no hesitation - only the steady rhythm of words carrying forward what was, what is, what will be. Make it so! Make it so! Make it so!
Reflecting on our earlier conversations about my parents ‘marriage of word and image’ - and my own - I now feel an even deeper understanding. What a gift to the world you are! XO
With you, sweets, it is NOT just ink on paper. You are writing from your beautiful feminine heart and Soul. Coupled with your gifts as a Seer and a deep feeler, your words ARE powerful! Have no doubts about that. Your words ARE legacy. They ARE healing. They ARE transformative.
If ever you are in doubt, I will stand up and cheer you on! LOUDLY!! I believe in you. "Once you are real, you can't become unreal again. It lasts for always." - Margery Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit
I could hardly believe my eyeballs when I read this, knowing the conversation we had just had about marriages of word and image!
You, darling beauty, are exactly where you are supposed to be. Don't stop! XO
You gently nudge me to remember the first time I read that beautiful quote by Margery Williams and how I wept. You're my inspiration and spurs! A thousand blessings, and then a thousand more! Namaste, my dear friend, namaste XO
Wow - so powerful Deborah.
Many lines stand out and especially these:
“become an ecstatic wanderer.
Write the word, ‘Woman’
and, ‘Goddess’ often,"
"so I reached up and disappeared." Perfect. ❤️
Thanks so much for letting me know you loved this one, Jo. As is often the case in my stories and poems, the ending emerges from a dream, where The Great Mother's hand descended from the sky and lifted me up. 🙏❤️
They eloped, hitched-up,
word, image, both depictions.
Of great mystery?
Ha-Ha! I love it, word and image eloping, getting hitched! A match made in metaphor! Thanks so much for the haiku and heart smile, Marisol.
I read your post yesterday, twice and again today, trying to find a reaction other than my mouth falling wide open, struck by how your soul arranged the letters just so -- a conversation with soul, so worth the capture because it spoke not singularly of you, but of all women who begin their days with pen, paper and a candle flame. Soul the mother, soul the father, soul the rising whispers that reach high and root deep. I'm awe struck. Moon-mad and humbled by the authentic unfolding of such fleeting grace. Inspiration and gratitude fill my pockets now as I begin my day with the echos of your soul conversation. Write on, sister. Write on!
Oh wow! I'm so delighted that you enjoyed this poem, Stephanie! Thank you so much for your return reads and for holding space for it. Indeed, it was a conversation between poet and soul (Active Imagination). If you haven’t already come across 'The Alphabet Versus the Goddess' by Leonard Shlain, I highly recommend it. Without exaggeration, that book of his changed how I write and view language. His 'herstory' about language is mind-blowing!
I love how you describe women throughout history beginning their day with a pen in hand. Some by candlelight, others, like myself, beside a window, watching Father Sun caress each leaf in the garden with kindness. Most mornings, I start writing around 6 a.m. It’s easy in summer, though in winter, I shiver at times, waiting for the house to warm up and light to arrive. We have a noisy old heating system, so I wait an hour or so before I switching it on.
Deborah, I loved how you modeled active imagination. I'm currently plodding through The Red Book. Also, upon your recommendation, I purchased "The Alphabet Versus the Goddess. It should arrive today. Thank you for sharing that. Sending you love, hugs and as always, goodwill.
Oh, I haven't read Jung's Red Book for years and years, so thanks for the gentle nudge. Well Stephanie, you're going to ab-soul-utley love 'The Alphabet Versus the Goddess' by Shlain, it's everything you could wish for in a book, and so much more. Love and blessings, always.
Thank you Deborah. Who knew that my newest favorite poet would also be such a great resource! Big hugs and love comin' your way.
Taking those 26 fixed forms and transmuting them, like the alchemist's lead into gold, painting glorious pictures in the mind. The ultimate healing rebelion? Thanks for sharing.
Oh, I love that ‘the ultimate healing rebellion’. Thanks so much, Ralph. This marriage between word and image is something I see you’re exploring too.
🙂
Thanks again, Ralph. I love how poetry carries us on inner journeys, how a few words, strung together, can reach far and instantly transport us. 😊
Oh, wow! Now I understand the marriage you saw in my post, thank you. I’ve read this many times now, mostly between the words, searching for the shells of new letters.
I feel the feminine in your writing, the alchemical witch, more in "being" magick. I’ve always thought of boundaries only to move through them, even as a child, I would draw outside the lines and find joy where adults imposed rules on creating.
You’ve already reinvented the alphabet by writing your own way.
You shamanic poetess.
Thank you for this pearl of a post. Your voice is loud and clear: feminine, cosmic, true.
Love this:
“what if the alphabet had a wife?
You could take on his name,
bring word and image together.”
"“Come,” she said,
“you cannot be late for your own wedding.
Drink the shaman’s spirit.
The marriage of word and image
is imminent.”
So I reached up
and disappeared."
Thank you!🙏❤️
Wow! I do love this 'soul-chronicity' (a new word from Jamie last week) that so many of us share here on Substack. I love how we inspire each other and so when I read your beautiful and brilliant post earlier, I thought to myself after I'd finished - just look at Katerina's own marriage of 'word and image' and how she's an artist, a photographer and a writer too. What a perfect balance, above and below, what an incredible alchemical marriage. Does she know, I wondered? Does she know how rich this way of being is, to not be one thing or the other but both? Thanks so much dear friend for the gift of your generous heart, lots of love, from the Alphabet's wife (thankfully, one of many!) 🙏❤️
Deborah, I wondered the same thing, does she know how beautiful her writing is? Thank you for the acknowledgment. We are in "soul-chronicity", and the mirror is everywhere. 🙏❤️
I'm just entering the era of my alchemical marriage of words with visuals and life, all sewn together. I've always longed to braid my life into something rich and balanced, as you are likely doing and being in your own way. Cheers for beautifully individuating day by day!
Thank you for your warm thoughts and your beauty!
Aww, shucks! Bless you, dear Katerina for your goodness and goddessness! 🙏❤️
Like many, I didn't realise, that the philosopher's stone - the secret of alchemy - was about learning to 'marry' the opposites, to hold their tension without choosing one over the other, but embracing both. That's exactly what you do with your own marriage of word and image.
I'm there now too, always writing with an image or two beside me. I hope a little of this makes sense.
You'll laugh - after Jamie's 'bee' poem yesterday, I paused my new memoir story (where, naturally a bee had wandered in), to craft another tiny story; 'Poet as Bee'. I love how we all spark inspiration in each other. Thanks so much for this heart smile, for you presence, for simply bee-ing. ✨🐝💛
I have read that letters separated man from nature. Stole him away from the earth mother and placed him within logics frame. Led him to see perfection in his thinking rather than in nature. Thus the fall.
I love all the myths and stories about 'language' and the ones you share resonate deeply. Thanks so much for reading and for the gentle nudge, as I feel inspired to read more.
Shlain's book is just phenomenal; if you're interested in language, especially the alphabet and it's conflicts. His writing is not only brilliant but beautiful crafted and in that balance, I find the marriage of word and image so compelling.
I recommend the spell of the sensuous, the lady of the largest heart and the god of ecstasy
Duly noted. Many thanks, Charles.
This is just wonderful, Deborah. Your ability to find exquisitely beautiful and apt images for your blog posts has always inspired me. You certainly have a gift for that. I also discovered Shlain's extraordinary ground-breaking, stereotype-shattering book in the 90's at the recommendation of one of my students at the local Jung Center. It made me angry, but at the same time I was overjoyed to understand so much more about myself and the workings of my brain and how the written word has influenced societal stereotypes about the Feminine and women that it was also a relief. It made it easier for me to not take it personally. Thank you for this. It gives me a new perspective on my ego's attitude toward, and relationship with, my Animus.
Dear Jeanie, thank you so much for your thoughtful words and sharing these rich insights. Shlain’s book truly changed my writing life, and I completely understand all the emotions it stirred, it did in me too. That deep recognition alongside the challenge of confronting ingrained perspectives and the relief of seeing 'herstory' more clearly, was profound.
I’m so grateful it offered you new insights into your relationship with your Animus, and I deeply appreciate your reflections on this subject. Thanks again, my dear friend.
I hope all's well with you my dear friend and that each day brings you more strength and creativity. I can't wait to read your next post! Sending much love and light. xxx
Amazing! You have no choice but to surrender or be dragged like a squealing pig (an image that bring me back to Marion Woodman). Marion spoke often of surrendering to our destiny or being dragged like squealing pigs.
You are creating art out of your resistance, something so many women are doing in my country right now. I have to read this poem again a few times because I'm lost in it at the moment. I think of the beauty of Egyptian writing in hieroglyphs ruled by the goddess Seshat (not a god). Writing with images instead of words. Sending you love across the sea as I admire the blue of four bluebird eggs in a nesting box outside my office window.
Dear Elaine, Ha-Ha! I couldn't resist adding 'squealing like a pig' because that's the awful noise I make when I'm fed up with writing and stubbornly resisting the muse! What wonderful synchronicity with Marion, I love it!
Writing this poem back in 2018 changed the way I write. Instead of staring at a blank page, I started printing out an image, gluing it into my journal, and letting the image guide the words to me. Now, I can't begin writing unless I have an image or two around. Being married to a photographer certainly helps!
If you haven't read Leonard Shlain's book, I can highly recommend it. It's pure creative joy and a brilliant exploration of language and its conflicts.
And oh, how wonderful to have bluebirds nesting outside your office! Sending much love and light across the oceans and oak tops between us. Your poet friend, Deborah.
Hi Deborah, 26 letters blend to create a multitude of sound — of poetic song. How you weave those letters into beautiful meaning — with each poem, a song to bring all of us to our knees. 🙏 💜
Oh my goodness and goddess, I love hanging out with the Poets! Thanks so much Simone for your beautiful, poetic reply. These 26 letters bring so much joy to so many of our words and worlds. abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxy and z! (I just had to!) 🔤🙏 💜
Yes.
A song and dance of a poem jumping the broom!
Phonemes on the page, their origin in the womb of time?
"A song and dance of a poem jumping the broom!" I love that! Thank you so much, Philip. Yes, I believe so re phonemes, for there is none more ancient and timeless than the 'womb of time' where language gets passed down through countless generations. Wow, what a fascinating thought!