Wise words of the sage

Were I to turn the pages of time

And traverse the nuances and thoughts of great sages

Who have scattered pearls of wisdom to float in the universe

To whom would I speak first?

ROBERT FROST:

THE ROAD NOT TAKEN

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference

~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING:

How do I love thee?, Let me count the ways ~~~

SHAKESPEARE: “You speak an infinite deal of nothing.”

― William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OR

“Love is not love

Which alters when it alteration finds,

Or bends with the remover to remove.

O no, it is an ever-fixed mark

That looks on tempests and is never shaken;

It is the star to every wand'ring bark,

Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MAYA ANGELOU

STILL I RISE

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RUDYARD KIPLING

IF

Poetry and verse and prose, written in pentameters, Iambic pentameters, Tetrameters, free flow verses, love verses and everything in-between.

Words and their arrangements and messages are such beautiful colorful depictions of everyday stories and depth of feelings.

To read and listen to the artists paint their ideas on paper and titillate your mind with the delicate brush strokes of words fills me with complete exhilaration.

So, no. Traditional bedtime stories like Cinderella, or The big bad wolf or Anansi stories were not my idea of joy.

It was a healthy desire to absorb as many words as I could assimilate into my vocabulary. I read all bedtime stories, I read many books by many authors.

George Orwell, Animal Farm. Margaret Mitchell, Gone With The Wind. Rhett Butler saying "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn." Such great writing.

Even at an early age I was reading (one of my all time favorites) Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. Wuthering Heights by her sister Emily Bronte.

My parents had eight children. I had to make my own bedtime stories. I choose books and poetry. I would read myself to sleep with anything that was interesting. Even comic books. If it were readable, I was reading.

Trying to imbue a love for reading in every new generation is a fight. Their ideas of bedtime stories are video games and everything electronic. There are audio books and Kindle and tablets and computers and electric gadgets I cannot comprehend to keep the mind from being naturally creative today.

It is true that books are slowly disappearing and the minds that dreamed up the many bedtime stories of an era past are becoming an echo, lost in the advent of new technology, ideas and fresh creativity.

The joy of curling up on my couch with a cup of hot chocolate or coffee and turning the pages of a good novel or a book of poetry is divine. No e-book or the equivalent can measure up to that peace and sense of coziness.

I hope to instill in the younger ones a sense of finding their own creativity. To channel the depth and passion of the many souls who have printed and spoken such beautiful words and thoughts. To find relevance in whatever feeds their imagination and improve upon it.

Stories emanate from the thoughts of whoever is writing them. Find your center and identify with it. After the checks and balances, it is really you who can choose how to inspire your own imagination.