Thursday, April 27, 2023

Speak

“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.

28 comments:

  1. That's powerfully unequivocal! We should certainly pay attention to what urgently wants to be expressed.

    ReplyDelete
  2. That 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.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You know, I never noticed that about silent and listen... remarkable.

      Delete
  3. I 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.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Speaking our truths, whatever they may be .... however we choose ... is essential to our good mental and emotional health. Cheers to you this morning, Magaly.

    ReplyDelete
  5. This 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.

    ReplyDelete
  6. This would make a good epitaph for the Internet ;-D

    ReplyDelete
  7. Good words and I do like the photograph you've used here.

    Sending lots of good wishes to you.

    All the best Jan
    https://thelowcarbdiabetic.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  8. True! They do rot inside if not expressed... and can have consequences if they are. Balance and courage - both sometimes, hard to come by!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I 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.
    Thank you for posting, Magaly.
    ..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Let's hope we can awaken before the choking...

      Delete
  10. Oh 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

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It seems that it's a dance between necessary silence and let it rip!

      Delete
  11. Ooh, 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. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope you share the essay! What a great question.

      Delete
  12. YES to Speak! A powerful poem, in an era of censorship.

    ReplyDelete
  13. This is an amazing poem. Filled with truth.

    ReplyDelete

I love reading your insights, so share them with me; and if Blogger is acting foolish, and labels you Anonymous, please add your name at the end of your comment. 😘