I find that a lot of water imagery has entered my vocabulary since my beloved Peter died in January. I referred to 'the sea of one hundred beds' in a care home that I visited in Malaysia. I talked about waves of recrimination in a family feud, and everyone being awash with emotion when feeling overwhelmed at seeing a beautiful sunset. It is not just the tears of grief, it is the words to express the enormity of the grief.
Peter and I were involved in a language project over the last couple of years, as we were struck by how various violent words had slipped into everyday conversation: 'I could murder a bacon sandwich', 'I could kill a decent cup of coffee'. We started to look at the frequent use of the word 'grab'. Mainly it was used in relation to food. There is a brand of potato crisps that is called 'grab-bags'; there is a prominent notice in a supermarket that says 'Grab and Go'; there is another at the airport that invites you to 'Grab and Fly'. Years ago children were taught, 'Don't grab - just wait' or 'Its rude to grab, just wait to be offered'. I notice that these example both have the word 'wait' in them. Maybe that is the issue - we have lost the capacity to wait...
And yes the floods and the rain are other metaphors for how I am feeling at the moment. Torrents of rain is just one way to express my deep sorrow.
'And the rain it raineth every day'
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