Words on a Page

The Book of Ruth, a novel chosen by our book club, back in the time when Oprah still held sway over book picks, turns violent in the last chapter. Maybe my memory overplays the drama, but a tingle still ripples my nervous system as I recall the graphic details of demise. On the evening that I reached the concluding climax, I had to slam the spin shut. I could not take another sentence. My partner looked at me quizzically. I said: This is too much. I can’t read another page!

He responded: It’s only words on a page. 

That response dished out some dozen or more years ago still plays havoc with my literary digestive system.

Just words on a page. 

Maybe that is all we do when we put pen to paper or hands to a keyboard. We put words on a page. Yet, both the romantic in me and the realist have aligned to believe that in those moments when we pause and think about the lines we write, we are extremely vulnerable and sincere. The words collected, finessed, and sent forth often reflect the beauty of our true self.

What is offered on paper or on screen can be some of the most sincere thoughts and feelings and experiences that we have. This probably excludes the Facebook posts and the Instagram offerings. Those, for the most part, may just be words on a page. There are writers of best sellers, serial fiction, and revealing biographies who craft beautiful images and captivating scenes and I admire them in equal measure as I do the individual who is open and honest and kind to the friend, a loved one, and even the stranger through written sentiments that are thought out and shared, sometimes bravely so.

As I place my fingers to the keyboard and yet again try to create a scene or a story that resonates, I sometimes recall: It’s only words on a page. While I may shrink a bit at my own limited capabilities, I never shrink from admiring all my writer friends who continue to place their heart and soul on the keyboard. They work to make sentences into memorable feelings of time and place. They are the people who are willing to experience the questioning of others and possibly the dismissiveness of many. 

Perhaps sometimes there are just words on a page, but most other times the words are the reflection of a heart and soul. A reflection of a person who is brave enough to say: here is my story. To each soul willing to write — a letter, a presentation, a poem, a blog or book — I send gratitude for your words on a page.