“Silence is not a natural environment for stories. They need words. Without them they grow pale, sicken and die. And then they haunt you.” ~ Diane Setterfield
Swallowed
words
will
rot;
the
stillborn ideas
they
wished to create
burst
in the gut,
push
up the throat
(through heart and teeth),
poisoning
all
within
range…
infecting
tongues,
which
the silenced might love
or
need—
speak.
photo by Ilyass SEDDOUG, on Unsplash
- for Poets and Storytellers United--Friday Writings #74: The Act of Paying Attention.
That's powerfully unequivocal! We should certainly pay attention to what urgently wants to be expressed.
ReplyDeleteAgree.
DeleteGrab that mic and let 'er rip!
ReplyDeleteYou bet!
DeleteThat is quite deep to think about. What makes us human. We need to speak, express ourselves be truthful or we will likely get sick. What other animal? I like how silent and listen are the same words with the letters mixed around.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I never noticed that about silent and listen... remarkable.
DeleteI think about all the stories I've needed to get out of me, in one form or the other... this is spot on. Colleen is quite right. There is a lot of depth going on here too, just because the human need to express ourselves is so damn powerful.
ReplyDeleteThank goodness for words...
DeleteSpeaking our truths, whatever they may be .... however we choose ... is essential to our good mental and emotional health. Cheers to you this morning, Magaly.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking can be therapy...
DeleteThis is how it happens. You said it well. Stuffing down ideas as well as emotions, somehow not being able to articulate them, leads to far more physical ills and disasters than we realize.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree.
DeleteThis would make a good epitaph for the Internet ;-D
ReplyDeleteInteresting...
DeleteGood words and I do like the photograph you've used here.
ReplyDeleteSending lots of good wishes to you.
All the best Jan
https://thelowcarbdiabetic.blogspot.com/
Thank you.
DeleteTrue! They do rot inside if not expressed... and can have consequences if they are. Balance and courage - both sometimes, hard to come by!
ReplyDeleteBalance and courage...
DeleteI like it, must read and read to pull from it. We could choke on swallowed words, maybe that will wake us up to what is right. I like to see what the prompter chose to write on his/her own prompt. You didn't disappoint.
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting, Magaly.
..
Let's hope we can awaken before the choking...
DeleteOh my gosh, the trouble I would be in mwahahahahaha. Though you are utterly correct. The pains I have suffered for my silence. So glad I've left that life behind XXX
ReplyDeleteIt seems that it's a dance between necessary silence and let it rip!
DeleteOoh, that's a great quote ( and your follow-up poem). Which brings me to an essay i am writing. "Should poets do self-censorship?". But I think it will not see the light of day. Yet. :)
ReplyDeleteI hope you share the essay! What a great question.
DeleteYES to Speak! A powerful poem, in an era of censorship.
ReplyDelete🖤🤗🖤
DeleteThis is an amazing poem. Filled with truth.
ReplyDeleteThank you.
Delete