Forum / Darryl's new blog from latest Olentangy Review

• 
  Darryl Price

  Jul 23, 10:37pm

  Words Are Funny Little Things by Darryl Price
  
  I’ve noticed that sometimes words are very friendly particles, offering to help you hang some curtains perhaps, metaphorically speaking, or change a light bulb or just keep you company while you cook or mow the grass or sit under a favorite tree. I kind of like that.
  Don’t get me wrong. They can be stubborn, too. Not really helping you to explain yourself right away—when you know doggone well they have the capability. They can be like dolphins, keeping you in a protective circle away from snarky ideas that seep in the deep, dark waters of your mind. Or they might just push you over the unknown cliffs of your own desire to know yourself better, to express yourself, to make a noise that is your own attempt at something like art or conversation.
  At best they are like flat stones. You can skip them across the surface of the day. You can use them to smash unfair windows or bean an unsuspecting buddy with or catch someone’s undivided attention if you get the lovely lucky ones.
  I guess they are a kind of a universal free for all. That makes them both sweet and dangerous I suppose. All I can say is I’ve grown quite used to them being all around the house. Sometimes they cuss a little too much I’ve noticed. Sometimes they tease mercilessly, but mostly they just pile up on the kitchen counter like acorns, or they stack on top of the glass tables like collectible photo cards and keep the lamps company, day and night. I don’t think they ever truly sleep, I think what they do is they wait. Wait to explode. Wait to nourish if you will. Wait to whisper. To laugh. To cry. To poke. To joke. To explain. To puzzle. To test. To spin. To begin. To end. To create. To imagine. To whine. To moan. To mean. To invent. To take you away. To return you home again.
  They make for an interesting game of mind chess or maybe a very tricky opponent in a video game. You get the picture. They are magic. Magic beans. And that means you must be very careful around them. They might get you to say something you’ll regret later on. But of course there are other, kinder, and more thoughtful words willing to help you dig yourself out of a hole if you need them. Some would just as soon push you in. Did I say that?
  Here’s the point: both philosophers and linguists have concluded that words can do real things in the real world where we live. They should be chosen carefully. They may be small, but they pack a powerful punch. They can blow things up very quickly and make them raw.Hitler used his words to murder. They can just as easily calm things down a bit and start the healing process. They can rant and rave with the best of them. They can pray like saints. They can raise the dead in comic book lands, but they really shouldn’t hurt anyone. That’s where you and I come in. We are the shepherds of the words of now and the guardians of the words of once. They are our primary responsibility as writers and speakers, to keep them safe and sound. To not let them run out into oncoming traffic and cause a panic, but to use them wisely and with great good will towards all. That doesn’t mean you can’t be creative or original or write what you want. What it means is you are not a slave owner, no matter how god-like your sentences make you feel. You are a co creator with the words you use, however you use them, of the world we all live in together. You and your words are affecting us at all times and in all circumstances, whether you mean them to or not. They are in the air. They are part of our air that we breathe. They and the air are one. Luckily there are many, many interesting and exciting words to choose from. This gives you the freedom of expression that you long for and that is the key to using your words perfectly well today and every day.But, you know, that's just one option.dp

• 
  Sally Houtman

  Jul 24, 02:28am

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IasCZL072fQ

• 
  Sally Houtman

  Jul 24, 02:31am

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JECTUQVrvzE

• 
  whatwouldbukowskido

  Jul 24, 09:15pm

  Darryl--

  Serious question:

  Are you four years old?

• 
  Darryl Price

  Jul 25, 11:45am

  Ah, thank you. The point is you can see clearly if you look truly, and that depends on your perspective.Besides, it can be fun. I like to write something sometimes that doesn't thrust a spear at you, for those who don't like things carelessly thrown in their faces. I could ask you--a serious question--are you a million years old? Think about it. Where is your child? The one you were, not the one you are being. Dead? Forgotten. Relegated to last in line? The most frightening people of all are the ones who have no child left in them.But hey at least you're passionate enough to have a response--and for that I thank you.I'm not looking for your agreement(don't need it)--not at all. Just expressing myself however I feel like it at the moment. Freedom of expression, I love it.

• 
  Darryl Price

  Jul 25, 07:35pm

  And, isn't using "Govenor Nichols" as a moniker kind of like using Lord Voldemort, Matt? How childish is that? Harry Potter called him Tom because that was who he was. Another boy. A guy named Tom.Not a lord at all. It was all just made up to sound impressive.

• 
  Mathew Paust

  Jul 25, 08:20pm

  Given the choice, I'll pick insouciance every time--except, of course, when my gout is acting up.

• 
  whatwouldbukowskido

  Jul 25, 08:44pm

  I was just kidding, Darryl...

  "Freedom of expression, I love it."

  Me too.

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