Sometimes when I sit here early Tuesday afternoon, ruminating on a topic to write about, I read some of the Post-it® notes stuck on the edges of my computer screen.
These notes help me access online research sites, list the numbers of each Xerox tray and jog my memory about things I might write about when the mood strikes.
I also keep an ongoing list of words I find interesting and entertaining. One I particularly enjoy pondering is “noumenon.” It means that which is there, but humans cannot detect it with their senses. Some philosophers consider ideas and thoughts noumena. Some don’t. Philosophers have batted around noumenon for eons. I like to noodle about it, too.
Another word I truly enjoy is “poetaster,” a Medieval noun for one who writes inferior poetry. I ponder who makes the call.
For instance, Aram Saroyan, son of the late, great William Saroyan, is famous for his minimalist poetry. In 1965, he wrote a one-word poem in the middle of a blank page that won $500: “lighght.” In fact, it’s so short it could almost be a noumenon.
Amongst these cluttery notes I find nuggets of treasures my granddaughter leaves me: a green heart drawn on a small pink sticky note; a smiley-faced vampire head with blood running out of its fangs and the word “Hi” drawn on a yellow note.
Once in a while I’ll find “I love you!” written by her 8-year-old hand on a note when I open my top drawer for a pen.
She delights in my surprise when I find these little jewels. She has no idea that sometimes, on a particularly stressful workday, when she’s on the other side of town at school, my stress is eased when I look at her ghoulish creature saying “Hi.”
Becky Clark, Editor
