Blog #5: A Web of Words

 Write a poem or a short prose passage that illustrates the ways in which language can be both a prison and a release from prison.

I weave a web of words

Or perhaps merely a pattern

Soft sounds to rival the birds

Power to flatten a mountain.

An invisible cage

Or translucent wings

Unable to gauge

If Icarus sings.

Words trammel and herd

Words absolve and liberate

Words clear and slurred

Words trivial and of weight

Painting a beautiful scene

Horrors thought unspeakable

Inscribed in stone or on the screen

In every form conceivable

Floating in the air

Carved upon the heart

Sentiment laid bare

Thoughts pulled apart

Language is a fascinating thing. We accord to it incredible power and organise our live around it. It has the ability to capture the essence of something. That same act can nevertheless also diminish the value or the nature of something. The more a word is repeated, ironically the more meaningless it become. But words can break hearts and heal wounds, start wars and end them, create a sense of belonging or cause someone to question the nature of their identity. I hoped to capture an element of all these concepts in this brief poem, alluding to the story of Icarus, a caution that language is a wonderful tool, but one that we must be conscious in using.