Scribbles » scribbles

Pieces of my heart

Michelle Basson — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 11:05:11 +0000

This was written a while ago when I was feeling a bit down. Enjoy!

every day i give a tiny piece of my heart to you,
but you only trample it under your ignorant feet.

every day i show a bit of my soul to you,
and your eyes look but don’t see.

everyday i reveal myself in moments
that you cast
aside -

like pearls before the swine.

The retired violinist

Michelle Basson — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 11:13:22 +0000

This is a poem that was a product of a writing workshop hosted by author for adults and children, Philip Gross. We were asked to take one postcard from a wide selection of postcards and to then write a short poem. I chose one of an old man sitting in a flat, playing a violin.

In hallowed halls his music played
yet no-one cared to know his name.
His music, the voice of his cherished violin;
not the man
met with appreciation.

But in his grey years
that gathered like dust in the creases of his face
He sat
quietly,
silently,
playing his beloved instrument.

Yes, in those still days he played his days away;

his fingers bent with age but they their way

He played and played

as he did in halls of yesterday.

Am I a grammar Nazi?

Michelle Basson — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 12:29:52 +0000

I recently considered the question after being called one in a facebook post by a stranger: Am I a grammar Nazi?

Do I get irritated by people’s bad grammar? Hell, yes! Do I cringe and feel my intestines twist and knot at the sight? Only in extreme cases.

But then thought, is it a bad thing? Surely it’s not so bad. I mean, I could have been much worse. I could have been an actual Nazi…

Whether its loose or lose, its or it’s, there or their or they’re… And my personal favourite sneak peak not peek.

Good grammar can save lives, people. Just look at poor grandma – she could have been the victim of an act of cannibalism!

So if I correct you in your facebook status update or blog, please don’t feel offended. A Nazi’s gotta do what a Nazi’s gotta do.

Hello world!

Michelle Basson — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 05:55:59 +0000

First post! Well, this is partially untrue. I had another blog I think only my mother read, but this is the first blog entry on my own site.

It is a lovely early spring day in Cape Town and I had this odd desire to kick off my shoes and go frolicking in the hills like Maria in the Sound of Music. But I had a socio-linguistic seminar to get to – the famous (relatively speaking, of course) Tove Skutnabb-Kangas came to speak to us. Apparently monolingualism is an illness. True, story! Well, that’s all I remembered after the two and a half hour session…

So there was no time for spinning around and singing and rolling down hills. Unfortunately.