Session 58 - Thought Provoking Poetry

There's a very popular poem by Irish Poet, Padraic Colum, entitled, "The Drover".  I remember learning it in primary school, not sure if it's still taught. It's about a Drover, usually, a man who drove cattle from the west of Ireland where the land would have been considered poor land for rearing cattle, to the rich pastures of County Meath, much flatter land. It's where life was easier, easier to rear cattle to make a living. The Drovers were usually paid a pittance for their work. Whilst reading the poem, I was transported back in time to a different era where life was completely different from what we know life to be today.  I contemplated what life would be like if I  was there now. There probably would be much more physical work to get things done, unlike today when we just press a button, switch on a machine or send an email. Washing laundry on a washboard by hand. Spending time doing the same thing over and over. Probably a lot less drug use or perhaps the drug of choice was alcohol. Words have the ability to anchor us back to a time past when we experience the same emotions, and feelings now, as we did then. So when you speak or when you write, choose your words carefully. The impact you can have on someone, especially a child is enormous. You set the tone and change someone's mood with the intended choice of words.  Choose wisely. Be Powerful