The Poets Corner
For the first time since the pandemic started, I recently ordered some art supplies for curbside pickup. The art store is only a ten minute drive from my house, so I got there easily, parked, put on my mask, and went in. Soon I had my bag, set it in the back seat of the car, and drove home.
I keep receipts at least until I know I got what I ordered – or until the credit card bill arrives, so out of habit, I glanced at my receipt.
“Payed in Full,” it read.
In spite of many things I actually believe to the contrary, my first response was, “Yikes! Doesn’t that clerk even know how to spell? There were three substitutions out of seven items I ordered and, on top of that, the clerk can’t even spell?!”
I tried to prevail upon myself to be more moderate. I didn’t know if the person who called me to OK the substitutions was the same person who wrote up the invoice. “Chill out!” I told myself. It didn’t work.
I complained about “payed” to Bob when I got home. His response was that if English “followed the rules,” the clerk’s spelling would be correct. (Point for Bob!)
So, I’m learning that a knee jerk reaction can come about at any time for any reason, no matter how reasonable we think we are.
And where does that knee jerk reaction come from? Most likely, it comes from our school days, back when no matter how well we answered questions, if spelling was off, our grades were lowered. I think I’ve told you about my sister’s second grade teacher who literally threw the spelling book at students who spelled incorrectly – and she had good aim. I arrived at that school in third grade and so happily avoided this particular teacher! And I was an awful speller, because I spelled as I heard words pronounced. Not until I was a technical writer did my spelling improve. As a technical writer, I was being paid – and quite well! Pride went before a rise, instead of a fall! I frequently looked up words for the documents I was writing. Conventional spelling began to sink in.
Also, I had help from the memory of a very fine creative writing teacher, literary critic Dorothy Bendon VanGhent. She would often say to us in her classes, “Don’t worry about spelling. You can always get help with that. Write the word you know you want! You have no idea how many times people choose a bland word because they are confident about spelling it, while the word they really want, the right word that would be fresh and new and exciting, is left out!”
Spelling checkers on our computers help make VanGhent’s admonition a reality today. So this holiday season, when we are encouraged to return to sending actual notes, cards, collages, letters through the physical mail – in an envelope, with a stamp or two – let’s be generous to our friends and loved ones, remembering that regularized (“correct”) spelling is a recent invention — only as old as the printing press. The sound of the voice is both older and more resonant. Spelling as we hear it is what Chaucer did. King Alfred, who was all for education, did it even earlier. The kindness of a smile, a “hello” and a “thank you,” count the most.
And for some new poetry, I recommend the first ever Zoom produced Dancing Poetry Festival, co-chaired by Pinole Artisan Natica Angilly and her husband, Richard Angilly.
Parts 3 and 4 are upcoming. Parts 1 and 2 are now on YouTube.
Program One: premiered October 24 https://youtu.be/-ks4u40yLm4
Program Two: November 21, at 2:00 https://youtu.be/-d-LB9ThTfs
Program Three: December 19, at 2:00 (youtube link to be announced)
Program Four: January 23, 2021 at 2:00 (youtube link to be announced)
Happy Holidays!
For the first time since the pandemic started, I recently ordered some art supplies for curbside pickup. The art store is only a ten minute drive from my house, so I got there easily, parked, put on my mask, and went in. Soon I had my bag, set it in the back seat of the car, and drove home.
I keep receipts at least until I know I got what I ordered – or until the credit card bill arrives, so out of habit, I glanced at my receipt.
“Payed in Full,” it read.
In spite of many things I actually believe to the contrary, my first response was, “Yikes! Doesn’t that clerk even know how to spell? There were three substitutions out of seven items I ordered and, on top of that, the clerk can’t even spell?!”
I tried to prevail upon myself to be more moderate. I didn’t know if the person who called me to OK the substitutions was the same person who wrote up the invoice. “Chill out!” I told myself. It didn’t work.
I complained about “payed” to Bob when I got home. His response was that if English “followed the rules,” the clerk’s spelling would be correct. (Point for Bob!)
So, I’m learning that a knee jerk reaction can come about at any time for any reason, no matter how reasonable we think we are.
And where does that knee jerk reaction come from? Most likely, it comes from our school days, back when no matter how well we answered questions, if spelling was off, our grades were lowered. I think I’ve told you about my sister’s second grade teacher who literally threw the spelling book at students who spelled incorrectly – and she had good aim. I arrived at that school in third grade and so happily avoided this particular teacher! And I was an awful speller, because I spelled as I heard words pronounced. Not until I was a technical writer did my spelling improve. As a technical writer, I was being paid – and quite well! Pride went before a rise, instead of a fall! I frequently looked up words for the documents I was writing. Conventional spelling began to sink in.
Also, I had help from the memory of a very fine creative writing teacher, literary critic Dorothy Bendon VanGhent. She would often say to us in her classes, “Don’t worry about spelling. You can always get help with that. Write the word you know you want! You have no idea how many times people choose a bland word because they are confident about spelling it, while the word they really want, the right word that would be fresh and new and exciting, is left out!”
Spelling checkers on our computers help make VanGhent’s admonition a reality today. So this holiday season, when we are encouraged to return to sending actual notes, cards, collages, letters through the physical mail – in an envelope, with a stamp or two – let’s be generous to our friends and loved ones, remembering that regularized (“correct”) spelling is a recent invention — only as old as the printing press. The sound of the voice is both older and more resonant. Spelling as we hear it is what Chaucer did. King Alfred, who was all for education, did it even earlier. The kindness of a smile, a “hello” and a “thank you,” count the most.
And for some new poetry, I recommend the first ever Zoom produced Dancing Poetry Festival, co-chaired by Pinole Artisan Natica Angilly and her husband, Richard Angilly.
Parts 3 and 4 are upcoming. Parts 1 and 2 are now on YouTube.
Program One: premiered October 24 https://youtu.be/-ks4u40yLm4
Program Two: November 21, at 2:00 https://youtu.be/-d-LB9ThTfs
Program Three: December 19, at 2:00 (youtube link to be announced)
Program Four: January 23, 2021 at 2:00 (youtube link to be announced)
Happy Holidays!