My Obsession with Words

My obsession with words is the very topic of my Common App Essay. For years, I've saved linguistic masterpieces on the edges of worksheets turned into rarely amused teachers, in notebooks with lovingly faded covers, in various note tabs on my phones, and on the skin of my inner forearm in smudged sharpie. It took me years before I could properly articulate my obsession with words, something I never would have been able to do without coming across a phrase by Cheryl Strayed:

Quote by Cheryl Strayed in her book Brave Enough.

So when it came time for me to write the ever-dreaded and important college essay, I approached it with a love of words, letting that passion guide me. If you haven't yet guessed, I'm sharing (some of) that essay in this post, along with sketches of some of those aforementioned linguistic masterpieces. Here we go:

My​ ​obsession​ ​with​ ​words​ ​began​ ​in​ ​a​ ​long-deceased​ ​minivan,​ ​when​ ​I​ ​realized​ ​that​ ​lyrics tell​ ​a​ ​story.​ ​
With​ ​that​ ​single​ ​epiphany,​ ​my​ ​word​ ​collection​ ​began.​ ​Its​ ​infantile​ ​years​ ​were comprised​ ​of​ ​Dumbledore​ ​quotes​ ​and​ ​Tolkien​ ​poetry,​ ​phrases​ ​I​ ​was​ ​inexplicably​ ​moved​ ​by.​ ​The incomprehensible​ ​power​ ​behind​ ​26​ ​letters​ ​that​ ​could​ ​be​ ​arranged​ ​with​ ​the​ ​intelligence​ ​and imagination​ ​to​ ​make​ ​me​ ​laugh​ ​and​ ​sob​ ​merely​ ​pages​ ​apart​ ​bewitched​ ​me.​ ​From​ ​under​ ​my​ ​bed covers,​ ​hours​ ​past​ ​my​ ​bedtime,​ ​a​ ​flashlight​ ​illuminated​ ​the​ ​emotional​ ​weaponry​ ​I​ ​am​ ​still enamored​ ​by​ ​today.

Part of the chorus of "Life Happens" by Thomas Rhett.

My​ ​obsession​ ​with​ ​poetry​ ​began​ ​with​ ​an​ ​inspirational​ ​creative​ ​writing​ ​teacher.​ ​No​ ​longer were​ ​my​ ​alphabetic​ ​companions​ ​confined​ ​to​ ​sentences​ ​and​ ​paragraphs,​ ​they​ ​could​ ​fall​ ​wherever they​ ​chose.​ ​The​ ​emotion​ ​I​ ​marveled​ ​at​ ​had​ ​always​ ​required​ ​dozens,​ ​if​ ​not​ ​hundreds,​ ​of​ ​carefully woven​ ​pages.​ ​An​ ​18th​ ​century​ ​Japanese​ ​haiku​ ​could​ ​draw​ ​tears​ ​in​ ​seven​ ​words.​ ​From​ ​behind​ ​a buzzing​ ​desktop,​ ​words​ ​took​ ​on​ ​a​ ​mystifying​ ​fluidity​ ​and​ ​freedom​ ​that​ ​had​ ​eluded​ ​me​ ​in grammar​ ​classes.

No longer a haiku when translated from Japanese to English, this poem still manages to bring tears to my eyes each time I read it. Fukuda wrote this heart wrenching work after the death of her young son. I had just finished a VA state mandatory test when I first came across this poem and unashamedly cried in the middle of the library, surrounded by those still testing. I should have seen it coming seeing as the book I was reading is called Poems That Make Grown Men Cry.

About six months after discovering Fukuda's piece, my childhood dog passed away. I wrote this variation for her while grieving. 

My​ ​obsession​ ​with​ ​journalism​ ​began​ ​with​ ​my​ ​first​ ​attempt​ ​at​ ​an​ ​opinion​ ​piece,​ ​one focusing​ ​on​ ​grade​ ​inflation​ ​in​ ​top​ ​tier​ ​colleges.​ ​Inspiring​ ​emotion​ ​is​ ​such​ ​a​ ​limited​ ​use​ ​of​ ​my vernacular​ ​friends;​ ​Informing​ ​people,​ ​educating,​ ​understanding​ ​them​ ​is​ ​a​ ​much​ ​more​ ​practical use.

A personal thought variation on a classic phrase. 

Perhaps​ ​obsession​ ​is​ ​too​ ​harsh​ ​a​ ​term,​ ​I​ ​am​ ​mesmerized​ ​by​ ​words.​ ​They​ ​provide​ ​a window​ ​into​ ​another’s​ ​mind​ ​and​ ​an​ ​entrance​ ​into​ ​another’s​ ​heart.​ ​Infinite​ ​possibilities​ ​arise​ ​with them.

The second half of my essay may appear in later posts.