"The Word Collector"
I was 18 months old when I found my first words. I was 18 months old when my parents realized that I would be a special child. My first words were not "I love you" or "Momma" or "Daddy" as first words so often are.
No.
My first words came out clear and calculated, with a point of my finger. "Construction over there"I was 18 months old when I learned about powerful words.Those words I had found, why they made people laugh, they made people listen. I collected my first words at 18 months old.
My vocabulary has grown considerably since that three world phrase 22 years ago. I've sorted through words, and stored the ones that call to me. I've hunted them down in old treasures and new trash. I've found them lurking in hidden street corners, and obviously shining, glaring at innocent passersby in the bright sunlight.
Some have tried to slink away unnoticed, and some think that if they hide in plain sight, I will meander by without giving them a second glance.Those words are mistaken. I am a word collector. The hunter of words. I seek them out and hold them close.
I have a secret wardrobe of the most beautiful, expressive variety. Words have coated my skin for years, sinking in, until they mold themselves into my flesh. I try them on and wear them out. I dance with them in the sunlight, and I live inside them, shining and shimmering in their brilliance. I hold them close, and use them to amplify my voice.
Words surround me. They cloth me, and protect me. They cushion the blows and they speak the language of my mind. A language that is sometimes hard to decode, but they find the nuance and help me untangle the thoughts piece by piece.
I see them when they are hiding, woven silently into the tapestry of clouds and golden sunlight, hidden but not invisible.
I have a secret wardrobe, a wardrobe that cannot be bought. A wardrobe that cannot be seen. A wardrobe that comes straight from the stores of my mind.
I have a secret wardrobe, because I am the word collector.
...speaking of collecting words. Here are some lovely ones:
...speaking of collecting words. Here are some lovely ones:
