so the alphabet snakes can write on my skin
Spoonerisms: a form of metathesis where consonants, vowels or morphemes are switched around.
• “The Lord is a shoving leopard.” (a loving shepherd)
• “A blushing crow.” (crushing blow)
• “A well-boiled icicle” (well-oiled bicycle)
• “You were fighting a liar in the quadrangle.” (lighting a fire)
• “Is the bean dizzy?” (dean busy)
• “You have hissed all my mystery lectures. You have tasted a whole worm” (missed….history, wasted…..term).
This piece was inspired by my profile page, and my ever present obsession with language, in all its spellbinding glory.
so the alphabet snakes can write on my skin belongs to the following groups:
A New Aesthetic.... Divine and Otherwise , Lesbian and Bi-Women's Art, Melbourne & Victoria, Short stories - Spherical Scriptings and WMGMy dictionary woke me this morning.
The pages were fluttering and I swear, I heard my names in seven golden languages.
I stood on the edge of the page with head bowed and bones ready, and dived in. The warmth took my entire body as the words washed me clean, and I wriggled my tail through the shadows in the depths. Chaucerian couplets swam up beside me and nibbled at my pointed toes, suppletives and suffixes tangling themselves in my streaming curls. I felt Kafkaesque clauses ping off my ribcage one by one, the last giving a tap on my sternum with one wicked flick. I took a mouthful of water, sea green and glowing with unwritten stories, and broke the surface to spurt up a glistening arc of Latin, declensions shining in the reflection of the surface. I sent the splashes into a frenzy with butterfly strokes, the branches of Grimm’s language families trailing from my outstretched arms, rich with mossy morphology. Spoonerisms snaked their way round and round my vertebrae, sewing their beauty like an emerald ribbon along the book of my spine.
One deep breath and down I plunged, to the world at the bottom where my stories are waiting and the alphabet ripples like sea snakes. One glorious freefall with eyes closed and hands outstretched, replete in the ink of my ocean, words writing themselves on the pages of my skin.
eon .
I have a Whole Vibe on Dictionaries. A wonderful excursion in your mind the above is Toooo
bellmusker replied
I couldn’t breathe without my dictionaries nearby somewhere….I’m heading off to New York on Tuesday and just found myself hovering over my suitcase, dictionary in hand, thinking ‘is this suitable plane reading?’ :-)
BiographyofRed8
beautiful and enchanting.. the line the alphabet ripples like sea snakes stands out strongest although each line.. reminds me of using the body as the page, start writing in ink over the naked skin (and tattoo’s of japanese symbols, (written on the body) too!
bellmusker replied
I do have words tattooed on my skin, so your comment makes me smile…..gotta love those alphabet sea snakes!
Steve Strodder...
very very enchanting bell
bellmusker replied
I do like to cast spells….thank you kindly.
nadine henley
fabulous – as always!
bellmusker replied
Just a little Sunday something :-)
eon .
Do you want a few Blind dates? My old Home Town. You could go for a swim in my Pool. If my Ex is in a Good Mood ” – )) Well its my pool I bought it. Dictionaries are my Bible.
No interpretation. Just every way we humble little Humans have found to express our souls with our grunty sounding Vocal chords. I speak to mine often. you know whats weird? seriously when the vibes right they even answer on random opening ” – )) All FUN. Have a great trip. Watch out for any Swines that Sneeze
bellmusker replied
Oooh, don’t tempt me! But I think I’ll have my hands full, given that I’m picking up LittleHelen in Sydney, and then MsTrace in LA….the three of us will make our presence known, I’m sure.
Mel Brackstone
You tell it like a fairy tale….and I can see Disney making a movie out of it :)
bellmusker replied
Mel, on Thursday I’ll actually be in Disneyland….so will get back to you with stories!!
Enivea
Is this Bellmusker who penned this?? Wow, you’re showing another aspect, and I love it!!
bellmusker replied
Really? Hmmm, ‘tis a touch whimsical, and that’s not often my style, so I can see what you mean :-) I often dive head first into books, so I just wanted to imagine what that would actually feel like!
sandraellen
Belle…...have a wonderful time in New York. I have just returned from 5 fantastic weeks in the states….......and i sleep with my dictionary (we love each other) sigh!
The perfect affair!
sandra x
bellmusker replied
We have a lot in common then! I’m already packed, and so excited I might just actually burst. x
sandraellen
..........i am still packed and have some frequent flyers….........hint hint!
Have fun…..the three of you (so envious) :))
best not burst….....just yet :)) x
Mel Brackstone
Oh wow, have a great trip, Bell!
John Robb
Oh I do love a good spoonerism – such a wonderful juxtaposition of letters that can open new hidden worlds of words. A wonderful piece of writing Bell.
bellmusker replied
I’m with you, John – how I love those wixed up murds! And who amongst us doesn’t love a shoving leopard? :-)
aglaia b
fan-bloody-tastic
a stupendous display of technique. hehe ;
) xox) xoxhave a wonderful time, bell.
i’ll be thinking of you three and i also can’t wait to read more of your adventures. ;
bellmusker replied
I just cannot sit still, I’m so damn excited. And I’ll have a fourteen hour flight with my little red notebook, so will see what words pour forth! x x
awdigitaldreams
You are so fecking brilliant! xoxox
bellmusker replied
Thanks sweetheart! x x
Tracey Mac
The visions in my head were divine whilst reading this, absolutely amazing, loved every single word, and have a fantastic time away!
bellmusker replied
I’m so happy you could visualise this so clearly! I love it when my words produce images….. and I’ll bring back stories to the bubblers, don’t you worry :-)
aglaia b
wow weeee,
i can feel your excitement from here! hehe
will you be O/S for your birthday?
;-) xox
bellmusker replied
Aye, Trace has booked us into a four and a half star hotel in Manhattan for my 37th birthday. I ask you babe, can you imagine a better day than waking up to those glorious women high above Times Square?!! I have soooooooo much to be grateful for x x
ArcadiaTempest
I too love words….I love to find a new word and play with and tease it a little. I read your words and kept thinking…..Hmmm YES..Yes…Yes….then I thought I hope I am not saying this out loud….. LOL :)))
Really got the word groove in me shaking & swinging this delightful write about one of my favorite things in life….Words…love them and will never leave them. XXX
bellmusker replied
Oh sweet lord, I totally understand. My particular passion is for the historical linguistics of Germanic languages, and I have to confess I just spent three hours of a lazy Sunday afternoon with my head deep in a book comparing German, Dutch and English. I’m sure there were better ways to spend my time, but…..actually, there probably weren’t! :-)
aglaia b
ahhh, such is a glorious life huh?
enjoy ;-) xox ❤
DeviousLili
What a wonderful way to wake up: coffee, a snuggly kitten, and this masterpiece of imagery and divinity and Soul. Wonderful. xox
bellmusker replied
Stephanie, what I wouldn’t give for a snuggly kitten right now, on this icy winter night! Tell Bella I’m thinking of her, and thanks to you for the lovely comment x x
Leith O'Malley
So many great lines, so many favourites!
I’ll settle with this one though..”like an emerald ribbon along the book of my spine”.
Another class act here Bell and you are too damn clever for your own good lol :)
*Keep us all enthralled with your US travels girl and may there be some happy Spoonerisms hee hee heeeee….
bellmusker replied
Oh there will be journal posts aplenty, mark my words! Luckyvegetable has given me a series of challenges to undertake on my trip, beginning with Disneyland on Thursday, so I will see what mischief I can wreak. And yes, bring on the Spoonerisms! :-)
Naomi Downie
this could of been a poem….I feel a rich poetical images screaming for verse
maybe thats just me
bellmusker replied
It could have been, yes, but it rapidly took prose form instead – the metre didn’t flow as a poem. And as a reader, I get very tired of scrolling down with long poetry!
Susan Trigg
Fabulous imagery – I want to dive in there myself!
bellmusker replied
Come on in – the water’s divine! :-)
jemimalovesbigted
I love you! Seriously! You are a fucking LEGEND! xxx
bellmusker replied
Ha! Just your average word wench with a spare afternoon on her hands :-) And stay tuned for stories of more travels, sweetheart….off to LA on Tuesday! x x
jemimalovesbigted
Have the bestest, most wonderful, awesomest time ever! and I look forward to all the travels cooked up in your wonderful words delivered to our ever waiting computer screens! xx
oneperfectkiss
You are such an exciting being Bell. Not many people love dictionaries but I have my nose in one all the time….like a long lost lover…lol…spoonerisms are fabulous and I say them often to the absolute joy of my friends…i think the comment above me says it all…you are a fucking legend.
bellmusker replied
You’re back! So good to hear from you….and thank you so much for the beautiful comment. There do seem to be many of us intoxicated by our dictionaries, hey? :-)
oneperfectkiss
Oh, indeed angel. xx
Gregory John O...
Great read…... The Dictionary is the “Good Book”....
bellmusker replied
The best book there is…..especially a hefty etymological dictionary. Hours of joy :-)
mstrace
I can’t wait for muse-day touring.
I can’t wait for Tuesday morning
ah hell, that one sucked…but my heart was in the right place.
bellmusker replied
Muse-day touring
I love it!! And babe, in twenty four hours I’ll be winging my way over…bring it on! x
Rex Inkpen
excellent piece on the addiction and thrill of writing.. love the hat tip to ‘Haroun and the sea of stories’
bellmusker replied
You’re spot on with the addiction to writing, but I have to confess there was no hat tip – I’ve not heard of Haroun or the sea of stories, sorry :-)
Rex Inkpen
oh don’t be sorry..it’s a Salman Rushdie work that has, at its core, a beautifully similar theme.
Holly Ringland
i do love it when your text messages or bmails tell me that everything’s okay, you’re just holed up in your beautiful little flat with your nose buried in your syntax books, your fingernails pinning words to their dictionary page like preserved butterflies… i love it because i know, with the heady anticipation of birthday mornings, that a piece is a-comin’... unravelling… winding it’s way to the light of day where we all take our fill and gulp down your spells deep into our bellies. i am a-gog over this… snaked their way round and round my vertebrae, sewing their beauty like an emerald ribbon along the book of my spine... that’s exactly how it feels. my jelly bean… what a dark enchanting treasure chest you are… i can’t wait to devour what is to come from the next two weeks of grand adventure (fuck i’m going to miss you) xx
Damian
Love it when you have a play with language :)
bellmusker replied
So do I, Damian…..nothing better! :-)
friartuck
So, Belle, just wanting to confirm a suspicion that has been growing for a while…
You’re kinda into words, yeah…? ;-)
bellmusker replied
Well, you know, I’m starting to think that there just might be something in this writing lark ;-)
By the way, I just went shopping in an LA supermarket and narrowly escaped buying spray on cheese in a can…..phew! :-)
ellejayerose
oh i could just eat etymology :)
belle… think u would adore Julian Burnside’s ‘wordwatching’
bellmusker replied
Oooh, think I’ll have a look at that….thanks sweetheart!
Ushna Sardar
great read!
bellmusker replied
Thank you Ushna; I loved writing this so much.
T. Mick Donald
great stream of consciousness here. nice metaphor. love the ‘book of my spine’ line. really well-written. good work
bellmusker replied
Thanks for that! The ‘book of my spine’ is the part that makes me smile most too :-)
I recall mentioning to you that I was headed to the US…I just landed in LA this morn, and am wandering around with wide eyes and greedy stomach, already filled with kettle korn and Reece’s peanut butter cups. How I love this country, with all its shiny glory…..
linaji
Welcome Bell.. I can’t wait to hear more from your feasting eyes… I live just up in San Francisco!! knowing you are here and knowing I shall ‘hear’ more from your pen.. I am thrilled.. this piece of course is so jam packed… I like… “I felt Kafkaesque clauses ping off my ribcage one by one, the last giving a tap on my sternum with one wicked flick.!! dang.. where the heck.. ??!!
More please.
bellmusker replied
Thank you! I’m having an absolute ball here in LA. Let me tell you, we need a Frederick’s of Hollywood in Melbourne! And the Mexican food is beyond belief….don’t even get me started about the tequila :-) I’m so pleased you enjoyed this piece, as I had so much fun writing it. My little red notebooks have been coming out frequently on this trip, so there are bound to be words pouring forth at some point soon!
ArcadiaTempest
Congrats on your feature….really fabu-wonderous piece!
bellmusker replied
Thanks so much – the feature is a lovely birthday present to begin my day! :-)
ArcadiaTempest
Oh happy birthday!!!! ...XX
bellmusker replied
Cheers!
Songwriter
Wow! This is the first time I have read any of your work but I look forward to more and more and more. You are a great talent. Thank you for sharing. :0) Song
bellmusker replied
Thanks so much for your comment…...it’s so reassuring to know that when I throw my ink into the world, someone can take pleasure in it. :-)
Jim Hall
After reading all these comments, I’m starting to fear writing mine. Excellent write but over my pay grade. Although I do like to play with words, I see that you don’t play with them, you swim with them. Good one! JH
bellmusker replied
I do love to swim in ink, yes…...but I still have to watch out for the sharks! Thanks for your comment, Jim.
veritasunsaid
MY GOODNESS; personally i hate the idea of reading the dictionary
but after that? i may just start
that was line after line of linguistical bliss!!!
you’ve got talent!! :)
bellmusker replied
Thanks so much – such a lovely thing to say! I swear, I could spend years reading through my dictionaries – with a strong whiskey and some dirty blues on my stereo, of course – and I highly recommend the experience. Who knows what alphabet snakes are waiting for you, in their exquisite oceans of ink? ;-)