❤️Have loved all of the poems, but today’s really struck me. Thank you for your words. I’ve quietly been using the word prompts to form haikus. I’m really enjoying this. What an adventure!
Diane: (n.): flawed person, daughter of A & V, current resident of Connecticut, micro-preemie, reader, writer, friend, teacher, someone who is just trying to be a good human
Definitions are like art critiques-
everyone has an opinion
on the meaning behind
every line drawn.
“Spell love.”
“Definition, please”
“The will to extend one’s self
for the purpose of nurturing
one’s own or another’s spiritual growth.”
“Used in a sentence, please.”
“Love is a four letter word.”
“Synonyms, please.”
“Devotion, fondness, friendship.”
“Spell love.”
“I-A-N”
I always tell my students:
It’s not the definition that matters,
but the connotation.
It doesn’t matter that “zesty” means “lively”—
if you use the phrase “zesty puffins”
the reader will assume they’ve been barbecued.
This is true of life as well:
so little is literal
or neatly pin-down-able.
It’ll all about subtext.
It’s all about connotation.
Definitions
I don’t really like definitions
They are like labels
They put people, things and ideas in a box
Neatly packaged
Clearly defined
Somehow restricted
I rebel against labels and definitions
And I am not at all a rebellious person
I want people, things and ideas to be free,
To explore
To develop
To change
To grow
To break out of the confines
Of the labels and definitions
Which hold us back.
Or maybe I don’t like labels and definitions
Because I just don’t fit any of those boxes
Which definitions require me to check.
The power of writers
to use language
imaginatively
but also
defining words
giving them
life
flavor
texture
nuance
then
In time
to enter
the mind
of another writer
to dialogue
and expand
the definition.
and usage
focusing
the eyes of readers
to new
places, situations, relationships
exploring
the distant reaches of the galaxy
or the
shapes of marshmallows
in the hot chocolate
describing in
words newly
defined
possibilities
of all
there is
Definitions seem to provide
a sense of security, control,
and understanding — an
attempt to find safety and
reason in our insecurity(ies)
We use definitions to create
boundaries for ourselves or to
guide us forward in our pursuits
The sad irony of definitions is it
blocks us from the very thing that
creates safety, security, and knowing…
Relationships
Relationships offer us an intimate
process of learning in which mystery
is not something to control but an
invitation to connecting deeper
To define is to put shape to the shapeless
To find the right twists of the mouth to put words to the previously wordless.
Definitions are the human’s way of explaining what we’ve been given.
But oh how we sometimes wish we’d been given more than just words.
Plus it’s been such a gift to read all the comments and the wonderful poems everyone has come up with!!! This is truly awesome 👏🏻
❤️Have loved all of the poems, but today’s really struck me. Thank you for your words. I’ve quietly been using the word prompts to form haikus. I’m really enjoying this. What an adventure!
This one ripped my heart out in the best possible way— I’m going to be meditating on it for a long time.
I’m starting to wonder if anything
Can be defined,
Well, definitively.
Maybe we can just ask
Each other, “What do YOU
Mean by happiness, joy,
Disappointment, fear,loneliness,
God, great mystery, friendship, bravery…
Tell me more, I’m listening…”
I am a person who looks for patterns,
who makes connections,
and constantly searches for meaning.
I feel everything so very deeply,
literally and figuratively.
I'm a rigid thinker,
and also a lover of nuance.
I thrive on genuine connection
and still require solitude.
I'm sensory seeking,
and sensory avoiding.
I take deep dives into my interests,
including my own brain -
especially my own brain.
By definition,
I'm autistic.
Ironically,
the exact meaning of autism
is different for each of us.
That's why they call it a spectrum.
But I've never felt more connected to others,
or more at home with myself.
This certain knowledge of who I am
comes with beautiful variety.
It defines my life
and creates meaning.
I am the extremes,
and the middles,
and sometimes both, or neither.
I am myself a spectrum.
Definitions
I don’t really like definitions
They are like labels
They put people, things and ideas in a box
Neatly packaged
Clearly defined
Somehow restricted
I rebel against labels and definitions
And I am not at all a rebellious person
I want people, things and ideas to be free,
To explore
To develop
To change
To grow
To break out of the confines
Of the labels and definitions
Which hold us back.
Or maybe I don’t like labels and definitions
Because I just don’t fit any of those boxes
Which definitions require me to check.
NO NO NO!!!
.don't do it.
.then there will be rules.
.then I can't fly anymore.
......thank you john coltrane.....
Definitions:
Diane: (n.): flawed person, daughter of A & V, current resident of Connecticut, micro-preemie, reader, writer, friend, teacher, someone who is just trying to be a good human
Amazing, thought provoking, basically awesome