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Is the Internet killing language?
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Published: October 11, 2009
The House on Centergrove Road
By Anita Taylor
Tan with burgundy shutters
and window-box planters;
brimming with seasonal flowers;
the porch stretches from
corner to corner – smiling.
Bill Diskin
Special to the Independent Tribune
The beauty of language being preserved in poetry. Thanks to Facebook, Twitter, and our fascination with texting and chatting, many of us find ourselves writing more than ever! As we compose and send millions upon millions of text messages each day, the volume of written language making its way around the world is utterly staggering.
And while the language is often cryptic and the spelling strange, it seems worth noting that we have the capacity to type and share written messages in an instant with people we know – and many we don't – who happen to be located all over the planet.
The question is, "Is that a good thing?"
Local writer and poet Anita Taylor wonders if something is being lost among this enormous quantity of written expression. She understands the practicality of these micro-messages, but she also appreciates some of the other, more traditional, ways of sharing her thoughts and messages.
Taylor's poem, "The House on Centergrove Road" for instance (though it looks like it could work nicely as a tweet!), reminds us of the benefits of using poetry to capture and record our emotions and experiences. Poetry, after all, has been reflecting our feelings since the days when a blackberry was only a fruit.
When the house on Centergrove Road smiles in the final line of her poem, Taylor preserves an emotion and presents a picture for all of us to view.
"Poets are very exact in their language," Taylor points out. "They understand and illuminate the nuances of word meanings. In a 140-character limit text message society, we've somehow lost the beauty of language."
But it turns out its not really lost. The beauty of language – which some argue, actually finds its way into the thumb-based communication of today – is being preserved quite nicely by a community of poets and writers with local, regional, and national perspectives.
Anita Taylor, for instance, has been reading and writing poetry in the odd hours of her days and nights since she was a child. "I remember writing a poem to my parents once as an apology," Taylor recalls. "I don't remember exactly what had happened, but it was just easier for me to collect and express my thoughts on paper."
Good old-fashioned paper. A great platform for record keeping. And a great place to store the details of memories, observations, and feelings we experience along the way.
"These words, images, thoughts come to me all the time," Taylor explains. "They rattle around in my head almost like a bread dough coming together — bumpy, independent ideas at first, and they roll around until they come together in this smooth, ball-like thing and I know it's time to grab some paper!"
Born in Hawaii, Taylor now spends her days supporting the Electronic Medical Records program for the NorthEast Physicians Network at CMS-NorthEast in Concord. She enjoys poetry, in part, because of her appreciation for the sounds of language.
And her love of language extends beyond poetry. "I love to read Pat Conroy," Taylor says. "His books are fantastic — but, it's his words that enchant me. Any of his books are like reading a 150-plus page song because there's a rhythm and a beat to his sentences."
Taylor admits, though, that it is often poetry that keeps her up at night. "It does seem like a fair amount comes to me late at night," she says. "Or in those first few minutes when you're between wakefulness and sleep. There's something magical about that time — you're letting go of everything from the day — it's just a natural time for free thought."
Whether it's during that magical time or not, Taylor is inspired to write by any number of daily events, reminding us that poetry is often a reflection of what's special within the ordinary. Taylor finds inspiration in "…everything good that happens and everything bad that happens. In a sweet, tender kiss or a conversation with my son. In a movie I watch with my parents or seeing my stepfather cry watching his grandkids. Life can, does, and should inspire each and everyone of us every single day we're living it."
And for Taylor and other poets, taking what life offers and translating it into poetry can contribute to a deeper understanding of ourselves and others.
"We write to help us understand ourselves and the world we live in," Taylor says. "To help others understand us, we are compelled to commit these words to the page — even if it's only in our own private journals. We spend every waking moment (and many sleepless nights) trying to get out those things that are inside of us because those words — those feelings — they are who we are."
Taylor is convinced, then, that poetry plays an important role in our lives. "We need poetry because it reminds us about what really matters," Taylor says. "And shows us that we should use whatever means of expression we can to communicate about those things: poetry, art, music, etc. Poetry makes it okay to not only have strong feelings, but to show and share them."
Indeed, Taylor is not afraid to share her strong feelings. "I want the people I love to know that I love them — to understand how deeply connected I am to them," she explains. "I want others to know that everywhere around us, are other people, other places, other issues worthy of our time, energy and concern."
Looking back, Taylor remembers fondly how one of her college professors, Barbara Earnhardt, used to say that "poetry requires that you use the fewest, best words to express something."
Sounds like a wise professor. I wonder if I can follow her on Twitter?
• Bill Diskin is director of admission and financial aid at Cannon School in Concord.
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