Lighting the Candle

"Cannot find the candle of thought to light your name."

-"Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town"
Pearl Jam

After many years of hearing this song, this line recently jumped out at me. Such a simple analogy, yet said in a most unique manner - in the manner of a word-smith. "A word-smith?" you may ask. What is a word-smith?

In my mind, a word-smith is anyone who uses words to carve images in your mind. Could be a song writer, could be an author, or perhaps just a friend or an acquaintance saying something off-the-cuff that has the same effect. The aforementioned example is one that has jumped out at me recently. Another that comes to mind is in a song by Keith Whitley:

"Darling i can see the clouds around you
and in your heart i know a sorrow grows,
but if you weep i'll be right here to hold you
til each tear you cry becomes a rose."

There are many others I have encountered, but these should give you a general idea. A word-smith can take everyday words and form them into something uniquely their own.

I love writing in many respects - reading, writing poetry, writing fan-fiction, and music by singer songwriters. While I don't pretend to be good at "creative" writing, I do have a strong background in formal and technical writing and have an appreciation for the written word. This appreciation has spilled over into my music, my foray into fanfic and an interest in taking photographs.

In a sense, I have found my "candle of thought" and it has lit an interest in writing that I had lost for several years. I find it interesting that 10 words that were familiar to me and nestled among the words of the song in my memory for many years, have finally emerged from the shadows and burned brightly.

The candle has been lit. This will be my journey; the exploration of what its light has illuminated in my mind.

-ch-

Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens. - J.R.R. Tolkien

Tags: thoughts
Current Location: FL
Current Mood: pensive

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