Words are powerful. They contain power, they are the ultimate power. That is why we must be careful with the words we choose. Ultimately, the wrong words could bring about the destruction of the planet.
So I shouldn't have been surprised yesterday when the power of words caused me to cry out loud, in public. I was at our monthly Touchstones Creative Writing Group, this month's guest facilitator was the wonderful James Nash. We had written a few short pieces, what object would you rescue from your childhood house if it was burning down, what photograph brings back memories, what smell evokes childhood.
I decided to write a piece about photographs, in particular the photographs currently hanging in my mother-in-law's room in her care home. She is not very well at the moment, in fact she is under end of life care. The writing of the words was business as usual. When, as usual, we were asked to share our work the floodgates opened. I finished, stunned, the room was stunned, James was stunned.
The power of words can destroy you.
About Me
- Ray Stearn
- I've worked as a children's librarian since leaving Library School back in Eighteen-Hundred-And-Starving-To-Death. I thought it was about time I set out my professional development, before I retire! I've been working for Rochdale MBC for 21 years now and still haven't the key to the door. The best bits are "out on the road" around the borough, in libraries, parks, woodlands, schools, playgroups, nurseries, in fact anywhere other than my desk. I can watch the end result of the job I do here, sharing stories with children, throwing in a few with puppets and props, perhaps a drumming circle with my jealously guarded recycled drums. I've had them for more than ten years now. a relatively new addition is stories with PMLD children using the wonderful Bag Books.
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