Words

Words have the power to hurt and words have the power to heal. I have a poster on my cupboard that says. “Words have a life of their own. Think, before you speak”.Wasn’t it Boyzone who sang

“smile ,an ever lasting smile
a smile can bring you near to me,
don't ever let me find you gone,
'cause that would bring a tear to me.
This world has lost its glory,
let's start a brand new story
now my love
you think that I don't even mean
a single word I say

it's only words
and words are all I have
to take your heart away”


There is this really beautiful poem about words which I have read to my children so many times that they can recite it without looking. We also used it in a couple of workshops and almost all the kids loved enacting it. Thought I’d share this brilliant poem with you so that you can share it with your children if you like to.

The word party. By Richard Edwards

Loving words clutch crimson roses,
Rude words sniff and pick their noses,
Shy words come dressed up as foxes,
Short words stand on cardboard boxes,
Common words tell jokes and gabble,
Complicated words play scrabble,
Swear words stamp around and shout,
Hard words stare each other out,
Foreign words look lost and shrug,
Careless words trip on the rug,
Long words slouch with stooping shoulders,
Code words carry secret folders,
Silly words flick rubber bands,
Hyphenated words hold hands,
Strong words show off, bending metal
Sweet words call each other petal,
Small words yawn and suck their thumbs,
Till at last the morning comes.
Kind words give out farewell posies…

Snap! The dictionary closes.
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At this point, I close the poetry book with a “snap” .My kids never tire of it! And each time I have to open the book and read the poem again, and they will give examples of different kinds of word described, like long words, foreign words etc. When they come to swear words, they will giggle and say “Mummy, we know it but we are not supposed to say it”!

And like reading the poem a hundred times never tires them, this little ritual of theirs never fails to amuse me!