Words

This week I have been mostly writing a novel.

It’s a piece of work I started in 2007 and has been mostly dormant over the past couple of decades with occasional bursts of inspiration. I had managed about 14,000 words and reckon it was about half-finished when I resumed this week.

We’re now up to 26,000 words!

Before you start to get impressed I don’t imagine that it will ever see the light of day. I am writing mostly for my own enjoyment – the enjoyment of playing creatively with words, characters and scenarios – but also in writing I am using one of my God-given talents and offering it back as an act of worship. If I ever do decide that it’s worth offering to an audience beyond the Audience of Three-in-One you’ll hear about it here.

You’ll know that my sabbatical has been all about words. Mostly about written words and writing words. I have been working on writing some pomes (sic), which will find their way into that section of the blogsite at some point.

Here are some words I have been playing with, inspired by us seeing an osprey on its nest while on holiday recently. They may become a pome at some point or they may simply be evidence of the state of my brain!

• Fishing ospreys sea hawk-eyed
• Cats needing a boost are catatonic
• If a pigeon croaks and curls up its tootsies is it pigeon-toad?
• Dogs dogmatically refuse removal from rugs
• Baby elephants are truncated
• Are rhinos hornier in mating season?
• Mice fleeing from felines down little gaps have a narrow squeak

The first line works better if you know that ospreys are commonly known as seahawks. A friend challenged me to turn it into a Haiku, so here goes:

Ospreys sea hawk-eyed, plunging unannounced from high: the first fly fishing

I have also been reading this book:

I wanted to read some poetry that had already been written to help feed my imagination and provoke me in the special way that poetry can. In a few weeks’ time I am going on a poetry-writing retreat led by Martin Wroe and his wife, Meg. So it seemed a good idea to get a book of Martin Wroe’s poems to get myself tuned in. I am so glad I did.

The book is in four sections – morning, afternoon, evening and night. The poems in each section are suitable for reflection in those phases of the day and those phases of life-experience in the Celtic style of the Iona Community (it’s published by Wild Goose, the publishing arm of Iona). I won’t explain what the title is about – if you are intrigued by it then perhaps you should buy the book as the title is resonating at the right poetic frequency for you.

Anyhoo.

Yes.

Where was I?

Oh, yes… words

Creative writing and reading

Loving it.

And to give you something more to ponder, here’s a trilogy of pomes what I writ a while ago on the theme of ‘The Word’ inspired by John 1:1

In the beginning was the Word
but we refused to listen.
In the beginning was the Word
but we were illiterate.
In the beginning was the Word
but we misspelt him.
In the beginning was the Word
but we didn’t speak his language.
In the beginning was the Word
but we turned him into a sentence.
In the beginning was the Word
but we preferred our own words.
In the beginning was the Word
but we were into moving pictures.
In the beginning was the Word
but we changed the subject.
In the beginning was the Word
but we used him as an expletive.
In the beginning was the Word
but we queried his grammar.
In the beginning was the Word
but we put him in a PowerPoint presentation.
In the beginning was the Word
but we abbreviated him.
______
In the beginning was the Word
In the present is the Word
In the future will be the entire Dictionary
______
In the beginning was the Word
and the Word was ‘yes’
In the beginning was the Word
and the Word was ‘come’
In the beginning was the Word
and the Word was ‘fulfil’
In the beginning was the Word
and the Word was ‘enjoy’
In the beginning was the Word
and the Word was ‘radical’
In the beginning was the Word
and the Word was ‘laugh’
In the beginning was the WordÄ
and the Word was ‘weep’Ä
In the beginning was the Word
and the Word was ‘wait’
In the beginning was the Word
and the Word was ‘be’
In the beginning was the Word
and the Word was ‘love’
In the beginning was the Word
and the Word was ‘please’
In the beginning was the Word
and the Word was ‘grow’
In the beginning was the Word
and the Word was ‘willing’
In the beginning was the Word
and the Word was ‘accept’
In the beginning was the Word
and the Word was ‘participate’
In the beginning was the Word
and the Word was ’empower’
In the beginning was the Word
and the Word was ‘persevere’
In the beginning was the Word
and the Word was ‘flourish’
In the beginning was the Word
and the Word was ‘rebel’
In the beginning was the Word
and the Word was ‘serve’
In the beginning was the Word
and the Word was ‘yippee’
In the beginning was the Word
and the Word was ‘here’
In the beginning was the Word
and the Word was ‘yesterday’
In the beginning was the Word
and the Word was ‘now’
In the beginning was the Word
and the Word was ‘tomorrow’
In the beginning was the Word
and the Word was ‘die’
In the beginning was the Word
and the Word was ‘live’

Be blessed, be a blessing