The Womanly World of Words

You've heard it said that men ought to communicate more, not just with the women in their life, but with themselves as men. If a man should do that, he'll gain the feminine healing that comes through the process of letting go; but will also do away with his masculinity - a sore loss indeed.

The question is whether to trade, or remain with what one has. To be in overflowing surplus, or remain in negative balance. Who in their right mind, would choose the poverty & hardship of the latter? And yet, as poor as it is, there's much to be gained. For the poor - though being poor - are rich, and the rich - being rich - are poor. Doesn't everyone want to be rich? Don't many want salvation - the redemption of their souls? Who really realises the sacrifice made in the trade-off? Who chooses the narrow way of masculinity?

This feminine world - the womb in which life, being masculine, dwells - has framed abundance, prosperity and being saved (like a damsel in distress) as infinitely better. Perhaps it is, in terms of scale. But what if better isn't really better at all? What if you don't want to be saved? What if you don't need to? Will the feminine force the masculine into submission? Salvation - according to Christianity - comes through being given a new heart. Will that be through being overcome, as Mary was by The Spirit? Or can God be resisted?

I'd like to return to what I mentioned earlier, about the world being feminine. Just like the masculine God dwells in the femininity of heaven, so we as humans - nature - dwell within earth. That which is most vulnerable and precious is surrounded by a protective force, like an oyster within a shell, or in chess, the king enveloped and defended by his worshipful court.

The real topic here concerns words. As a poet, I dibble and dabble in words. They are my prime vehicle of expression. What are they really, though? Are they just little particles of language? Or are they symbols - not just semantic - that point to a much greater meaning?

I'd like to do a bit of semantics right now. If you look at the title of this discourse, you'll see that its an alliteration: Womanly, World, Words. The key part of these words is 'wo', and it is the basis of many a word linked with femininity, that which is without, not within. 'Without' taken to mean negative space, or negative things, by default.

Now, think of the negative words, 'woe', ‘worse’ 'wobbly', or how about the insulation - or even suffocation - implied by the word, 'wool'. Feminity is linked to this feeling of containment and possessiveness. And so where you have the masculine you'll find the feminine, smothering it. And the desire for the masculine to leave home, and venture out.

Every single one of my poems uses words. If like me, you love words, explicitly, you may want to purchase and read the poems of mine that have a more direct relation to them, such as: The Arcade Alphabet and Words (Part 1).