I never found the rigidity in our language, never had time for it. While others debated the rules of “who” vs “whom” or if a comma should be come before “and”, I was writing poetry on the bathroom walls.
There stuffy air discussing arbitrary rules like an Iron Maiden, a mute screaming.
I hug irregardless, wrapped him around me like a warm blanket. I write in prosetry, told every genre to shove it as I picked them apart.
And I’m not going to stop.
Language is Google directions, we writers blindly follow.
For a while, you need them, those first fledgling timid steps , just learning the skills need to navigate.
After a while, it’s time to toss them out the window and just drive.
Language is the roads we cruise down. We should take the detours, swim around in under-discovered canyons while basking in the glow of our own imagination.
After all, rules are only rules because somewhere along the line, we decided they should be.
Nothing is set in stone.
Street of Dreams 
I love detours and I hate fussing with commas. Thanks. Glad to see I’m not alone.
You’re definitely not alone! The ‘rules’ are helpful to a point but it’s too easy to obsess over them and then the writing never happens.
“Madame, all our words from loose using have lost their edge…”
-Ernest Hemmingway
😉
We say ‘irregardless’ too, though the experts contend there is no such word. And we say ‘damn’ – not ‘damned’ – as has been corrected on my work. I think the jury is out on that word though, with both being acceptable. I think our characters have to speak as they actually do and/or would, and that is not perfectly correct all of the time.
Love it so freeing gotta try something new
!!
i love your spirit. tony
Love your post, so refreshing!
Indeed, there comes a time to drive solo but I am not yet there to be honest.
Nevertheless, I’m looking forward to the freedom 🙂
If William Logan taught me anything in my writing workshop, it’s that proper punctuation and correct sentence structure can have a profound impact on a poem. Just my two cents.
A fresh voice. Happy to follow you and look forward to getting to know you through your words, irregardless of punctuation.
I once had a English professor that told me creative writing was too creative. Then i had another professor ( who i adored and he was the facilitator to the campus poetry club i joined) pull me aside on more than one assignment and tell ” I love your writing! But you make grading so hard! It’s too poetic! It hurts my soul to tell you to make it more prose but you need too”.
What a fantastic and fun post! Reading it feels like a breath of fresh air. 🙂
Thanks for stopping by my blog, and for the “like” on my recent post. I’m happy you enjoyed it, and I appreciate your visit to my site.
Your blog is fun and fantastic! I enjoyed reading it very much.
This is written so well and quirky yet deep, and personal! thank you for visiting my blog cause it lead me to your blog, 🙂 🙂 Look forward to more posts
I swim in the fluidity of our language, but just the sound of irregardless is like a great white shark’s mouth clamping down on my writer’s soul. It’s the only word I hate. And I hate myself for hating it. Perhaps it’s time to release that hate. Perhaps I should just live and let irregardless live.
Every word you have written, I have tried to advocate for so long, to anyone who would listen!! 🙂
The boundaries that language sometimes etch, are so suffocating.
Agreed, indeed!
“I hug irregardless, wrapped him around me like a warm blanket”
Wonderful image!
Love this 🙂 the rules of language are there to guide, but never to dictate.
Humm. We place our creative art into the form which is grammar, spelling & punctuation. It gives deep joy when both are done well. There is, in my opinion, no value to having one without the other. Thanks for liking my post also.
Evangeline
seems legit 🙂 i like your writing style 🙂
Thank you! Here, I thought I was the only one. Words should free us, not bind us! …and thanks for visiting my blog. I look forward to exploring yours.
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