Sunday 4 September 2022

Plain and Simple Words

 
"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me." True? or not?

NOT TRUE.

This old adage was often used by many in response to those who said something that may have upset them.  Sometimes used to answer a hurtful comment or remark.  School-kids mainly, not always.

Why am I rambling on about 'words'?  It's because they can mean so much in so many ways.

Yes, they can certainly hurt, or comfort and reassure. Sometimes they might relight the dying embers of a fire that once burned so warmly in one's life.

Yesterday I watched 'In a Lonely Place', starring Humphrey Bogart and Gloria Grahame.  Bogart portrays a troubled writer and towards the end of the film he asks Gloria Grahame what she thinks of these words he'd written: 

"I was born when she kissed me. I died when she left me. I lived a few weeks while she loved me."

I thought how poetic this was when he voiced those words.

So reminiscent of 1951 and my first encounter with real depth of feeling and emotion. So short, but everlasting.

7 comments:

PhilipH said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
DUTA said...

Hi Phillip. I'm very glad to read a new post by you.
Words are indeed powerful; they 'can hurt, comfort, reassure' and more.
The words said by H.Bogart to Gloria Graham in the movie 'In a Lonely Place' sound perfectly charming to me.

PhilipH said...

Thank you Duta. I've not been very active on the internet for a while. Advancing age is my excuse. When sleep evades I get up and write something or phone a friend at 3 a.m. across the ocean. It helps :-)

Snowbrush said...

What a lovely post--thank you.

"Advancing age is my excuse."

But if everyday and in every way, you're getting better and better, I should think that you would post increasingly more for the edification of your reading public.

PhilipH said...

Cheers Snow. Bogey and noir movies beat most of the 'modern' film offerings, imo.

Ruby End said...

Lovely post Philip, you've always had a similar affinity with words to me, and I think this is so perfectly put. I love many of the vintage films, only last week I watched Lost Horizon with Ronald Coleman and Jane Wyatt starring. They don't make them like that anymore. Much love Xxx

PhilipH said...

Thanks Ruby - Lost Horizons is a terrific film. Shangrila indeed, with the ending so memorable as young and beautiful shrivelled to nothingness as the 'time-line' was crossed. Great classic. Ich liebe dich auch xx