Charlene Elson-Gustard

Tomorrow We Will See What Was Charlene Elson-Gustard

I discovered lately why I have never truly felt lonely and understand now the reason I could wander away from loved ones, even as a child and be totally comfortable with myself. The discovery is that I have always had company. Whether I was alone at home, the new student in class or an alien among strangers in an unfamiliar place, I was constantly surrounded by the company of words.

For me, in the beginning was the Word. There was never a time when words did not form part of my existence. I cannot remember being unable to speak or read or write or think! If I have ever been in bondage, it was because words held me captive. If I experience freedom, it is due to the power of words and their ability to liberate even in a world where shackles and boundaries exist everywhere.

There were times when I lived within the confines of the words I heard and read, until I realized I could rearrange the words I was given to create an expression of my own perception and interpretation of life and human interaction. The result is both exhilarating and alarming!

It is difficult to say which I find more interesting, since there is the word and its capacity to shape thought and influence action and the ability of authors to manipulate a thing so powerful to do their bidding. I may never be able to say, but I write in the hope of continuing a tradition that makes the writer the master, writing the craft and words the malleable servant doing the writer's bidding in a work of art.