This month's voice:
Heidi Nam, "The Word Thieves"
Introduction
Lindsay Herron
Editor, KOTESOL Voices
Have you ever read something and just felt seen? Something that resonated and reassured—that gave voice to your experiences and let you know you're not the only one? That's exactly how I felt while reading this month's contribution by the talented and creative Heidi Nam. As with her award-winning short film The Annual Meeting of the Onion Society, Heidi here manages to deliver sometimes-uncomfortable truths with a generous dollop of humor. Her delightful poem perfectly captures the brain blips so many of us have experienced—that frustrating tip-of-the-tongue feeling as we reach for familiar words and end up grasping at—um, nothingness? (Hmm. I know that's not the correct collocation, but it's escaping me at present....)
Heidi explains, "The poem intentionally leaves out some of the rhyming words to mimic forgetting and to give the readers/listeners a chance to play word-sleuth. Are the readers the victims? I guess some of the struggles with missing words be familiar. Or are the readers the thieves? I guess that some readers will discover that the 'missing words' in the poem have mysteriously appeared in their minds." (Heidi also pulls back the curtain on the creation process; check out an early draft of this work below.)
I'm sure you'll enjoy this thoroughly entertaining poem and the accompanying read-aloud video (here and at the bottom of the page)!
The Word Thieves
Heidi Nam
Hang on to the words
And expressions you like,
For the Word Thieves are scheming
And ready to strike.
When you’re seeking a word,
The thieves pull their prank.
It’s on the tip of your tongue,
But your mind draws a…
Space? Wait…are you laughing at me?
You might think you’re immune.
You’re a student of language:
Your word sense is fine-tuned,
Yet you feel déjà vu
From your flashcard routines
When a word looks familiar
But you’ve lost what it…
Denotes. O teacher, you smile,
But your writing is telling.
When your pen hits the whiteboard,
You’ve forgotten the…
Way the letters go. These thieves!
They know how to frustrate:
They’ll return what they stole,
Only when it’s too late.
In a heated discussion
Your words come up short,
But you wake the next morning,
With the perfect retort.
Or you’re out and about,
And you recall with a sigh
As you exit the store
What you came there to…
Purchase. O Word Thieves, I’ve suffered
Your relentless attack.
You hold my words hostage.
Now, please give them…
About the Author
Heidi Vande Voort Nam teaches general English and teacher training courses at Chongshin University in Seoul. She has served KOTESOL as a presenter, co-facilitator of the Christian Teachers SIG, administrator for the national Facebook group, and human resources director for Reel to Real: 2021 KOTESOL Filmmaking Festival & National Conference. Heidi lives on a mountainside with her husband, his violin, their two teenagers, and a growing menagerie of origami creatures.
