At five-years-old, I was captivated by magic tricks. I would spend countless hours feeling my ears, searching for the quarters that my father and grandfather so often pulled from them. I desperately wished a bunny rabbit would fall out of my winter hat so that I could have a cuddly new friend or that I could pull flowers from my sleeves and give them to my friends. As I grew older, magic tricks just lost their magic touch, but I've discovered a magic that's been around for quite some time now: words.
Humans and our unique lingual abilities are magic in its purest form. Hear me out: it all started out as simple sounds made with a combination of tongue muscle, air and larynx. As civilizations were established and developed, humans decided to take these simple sounds and create letters. These letters were then strung together to create written words. From there, we got sentences, paragraphs, essays, and novels. We got classic works of fiction. We got enthralling autobiographies and beautiful poems. Simply put, we create magic with words.
Words have a way of wrapping themselves tightly around your brain and branding an imprint that remains with you forever. Take your favorite book or quote, for example; those words resonate with you for a reason. Those words carry a special meaning unique to your life experiences. And that is why words are magical--they aren't just noises made or black ink printed on a page. They make you think about the world around you. They make you reflect on your life, both past, present and future. They make you want to take action and stand up for what you believe is right. And most importantly, they make you feel raw, unadulterated emotions.
What I think is even more magical is the fact that these simple sounds we made with our mouths were translated into hundreds of different languages to be spoken, printed, and read around the world. Let's take my favorite novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, as an example; this classic has been printed in different languages across the globe, where each word may mean something slightly different depending on the language. The same book that you and I both read in high school has now been interpreted and analyzed in hundreds of different ways, giving new meaning to the plot, its characters, and the overall effect it has on its audience. Is that not ethereal?
Words have a way of ripping open and exposing the souls of strangers around the world. They can bring people together in times of need and in times of sadness. These simple printed letters give hope, love, happiness, and light to millions of people. This is why I write. I want to touch someone's heart and let them know that someone out there has a similar mindset as they do, that they are most certainly not alone.
So move over magicians--there's some competition in town, and they call themselves authors.
