Micro-decorating move #2: rhyme

I first became aware of the power of rhyming on the day I started Grade 1. I witnessed one of my classmates-to-be introduce herself to the principal with a handshake and the words: "My name is Wilma Frouws-House-Mouse."

It wasn't just the sight of this girl the same size as me confidently presenting herself to a towering adult that startled me. It was the fact that she was so proud of her last name that she had extended it with two extra words that rhymed with it.

The moment stayed with me as an example of how we can bend language to our will and by using it with originality make our mark on the world.

The beauty of rhyming is that it has a physical equivalent. Objects can rhyme as well – and when you tinker with this fact, you can perform near-miracles with the things that surround you.