Laura N

If my body could talk, it would say what are you doing? This feels familiar, yet not. Which part of the body? The one that always strikes through is the mind. A stream of conscious is a dangerous thing. It is too easy to trip and reveal too much, or perhaps not enough. If there is silence, we would fill it – with words spoken or written; with our bodies, shifting, responding or running away.

If my body could talk in any of those moments, what would it say? I suppose that would entirely depend on the context. And sometimes, isn’t what’s left unsaid the most interesting part?

Although you can’t take that too literally otherwise conversations, stories and interactions would become very dull. Perhaps it’s when the unsaid becomes realised? How that realisation come around, what was causing or underlying it? Do our bodies lie for us or betray us? Or is it our words doing the betraying? Perhaps the betrayal is actually the saviour, if you look at it through another lens.

The temptation to edit written words is so high – but we can’t do that with our bodies, or verbal communication. Does that make them more powerful? Dangerous? Vulnerable?

Or is the power, danger and vulnerability really in having the time to carefully consider, decide, alter and finally be (at least somewhat) content with what you’ve done?

If my body could talk it might say “Is that what you’re using me for? Thinking around in circles? Don’t you know I can run, and jump and climb and swim?”

Ah yes body, I do know that – but you don’t always seem to like it when I run too much, unless it’s in pursuit of some kind of ball. So, does that bring us back to the questions of power, danger and vulnerability?

“Okay, maybe not too much running – but surely there aren’t many bodies who generally like that. What about climbing and swimming though?”

Yes, true you do like climbing – but if the mind counts as part of the body, then what about the fear of falling?

And swimming is fantastic on a languid, hot summer’s day – but it’s March. I think you would protest body, about going in to the sea today. I’ve seen (and felt) you protest in July, if you really want me to be honest here.