There used to be this lovely stream of words 
Elegantly flowing in abundance
And I had my pick of sound, color, adjectives, verbs, nouns, 
Lined up in a beautiful display 
Mine for the liking 
I could record the chosen words, capture them in writing 
And in sound when said out loud 
How much easier life was then

Now these same words play 
games with me
Hide and seek is a favorite 
They peak around the corner
Never in full sight
They tease me with their almost presence that tempts me to form full sentences even paragraphs. 
And yet, just before I can grasp these words they elude me and I am left with a stuttering resemblance of a smoothly expressed thought. 
How I miss the self in front of an elegant flow of words, unconditionally available 
To express my special thoughts 
That allow to connect me with this glorious world. 

So for now, I shall chase these words, catch one sometimes, release the ones not quite right and keep searching for the words like pearls that reflect my inner thought in all their glory. How dependent we are on these words. 
I humbly bow my head before 
Words that are mine sometimes but that I can never take for granted. Not in these days of calculated availability. 

Sonja Saltman, EHI Instructor
June 2024