A Note From Meg Hutchinson

I've heard it said that we become writers not because words come easily to us, but because we are always struggling to find the right words. I know this to be true in my own life. Every day I'm struck by something that leaves me speechless. Usually it's something very simple, very ordinary. Maybe it's the way the light falls across the trail at Houghton's pond in the late afternoon. Or the sound the geese make as they look for their nest after the heavy rain. Or maybe it's the look on the child’s face as she lets go of her balloon, that split second when she realizes it's gone... what does that remind me of? Of all the possible words, in every possible combination, what are the right ones for that moment? What are the words that have never been used before to describe something we all know? That’s what I’m after.

Words (2004)

November, and it thunders over Winter Hill
Ordinary lightning in an extraordinary season,
How welcome these shards of moon light as we enter the darkness
These pale sheets of blue that illuminate the damp streets

On the sidewalk today, I found one toy boat with its sails
mashed into the pavement
In the woods today
I stood in silence under the heavy sky
And listened to the leaves fall,
They clicked and whirred
Like a field full of crickets in the summer

My life stretches out before me
Full of every size word
Little bright ones
Fat, dull, sharp, long words
Round and straight words
Words that approach from the side, from below
Words that go straight at you
Silent words, slippery ones
Ones that work from the inside out

And then those other ones, that strike like lightning
Words you’ve known your whole life
That you use for the first time.

Song Lyrics

Come Up Full (2008) >>
The Crossing (2004) >>
Any Given Day (2001) >>
Against The Grey (1996) >>
Meg Hutchinson (1994) >>

All Songs by Meg Hutchinson. © Meg Hutchison/LRH Music (ASCAP) All Rights Reserved. Excerpts from song lyrics may be used by press and media for promotion of Meg Hutchinson's music. Credit should always be clearly stated. When in doubt, contact us at info @ meghutchinson.com