Post by maddie on Sept 28, 2012 0:18:11 GMT -6
"The fog creeps in
on little cat feet
It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on."
- "Fog" by Carl Sandburg
Although different in name and consistency, mist and fog are essentially the same thing-- water droplets suspended in the air, almost like a cloud close to the ground. Many a poet have remarked on the beauty and mystery of these phenomena, and, in doing so, have given these inanities certain properties-- although it is agreeable that the properties were there of their own accord long before poets saw them.
When you think of fog or mist, you are likely to reminisce an early morning. The sun has barely kissed the horizon, or perhaps it hides behind an unsuspecting cloud. The world is awash with early morning life; birds sing, late crickets chirp, but you, you are entirely alone. A veil of fog caresses you, and, in it, you feel safe. Secure. It's almost like you are the only person alive.
Have you ever listened to the quiet of an early fog-enshrouded morning? Certainly you've experienced one. In that moment, although you walk to your car or start on your other early morning tasks, it seems like the world stands still. It is serene, silent, a soothing sanctuary.
This is where we-- or I, at least-- draw a connection.
Names are not always taken in a literal sense, but sometimes they are. For example: Whiteclaw. Upon first glance, you infer a cat with white fur and fighting skills, correct? However, to, say, an on-looker who had no experience naming cats, 'Whiteclaw' could be taken quite literally to depict a cat with a white claw.
It goes the same way with -mist.
-Mist is not to be taken literally. There is a meaning behind the word, and it is quite easy to find if you give it a chance. Mist is subject to vivid imagery. It is quiet, it is sneaky, maybe it's even a little mischievous. Alternatively, it could be quiet and shy.
I could spend forever and a day writing picturesque scenes of the anthropomorphic qualities of mist, but I believe that Mr. Sandburg did so more concisely and eloquently in the poem above than I ever could, and although I personally would never use -mist for one of my characters, I do believe it to be an acceptable name in that it does describe the personality of the cat.
on little cat feet
It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on."
- "Fog" by Carl Sandburg
Although different in name and consistency, mist and fog are essentially the same thing-- water droplets suspended in the air, almost like a cloud close to the ground. Many a poet have remarked on the beauty and mystery of these phenomena, and, in doing so, have given these inanities certain properties-- although it is agreeable that the properties were there of their own accord long before poets saw them.
When you think of fog or mist, you are likely to reminisce an early morning. The sun has barely kissed the horizon, or perhaps it hides behind an unsuspecting cloud. The world is awash with early morning life; birds sing, late crickets chirp, but you, you are entirely alone. A veil of fog caresses you, and, in it, you feel safe. Secure. It's almost like you are the only person alive.
Have you ever listened to the quiet of an early fog-enshrouded morning? Certainly you've experienced one. In that moment, although you walk to your car or start on your other early morning tasks, it seems like the world stands still. It is serene, silent, a soothing sanctuary.
This is where we-- or I, at least-- draw a connection.
Names are not always taken in a literal sense, but sometimes they are. For example: Whiteclaw. Upon first glance, you infer a cat with white fur and fighting skills, correct? However, to, say, an on-looker who had no experience naming cats, 'Whiteclaw' could be taken quite literally to depict a cat with a white claw.
It goes the same way with -mist.
-Mist is not to be taken literally. There is a meaning behind the word, and it is quite easy to find if you give it a chance. Mist is subject to vivid imagery. It is quiet, it is sneaky, maybe it's even a little mischievous. Alternatively, it could be quiet and shy.
I could spend forever and a day writing picturesque scenes of the anthropomorphic qualities of mist, but I believe that Mr. Sandburg did so more concisely and eloquently in the poem above than I ever could, and although I personally would never use -mist for one of my characters, I do believe it to be an acceptable name in that it does describe the personality of the cat.