The word doesn’t wonder how good it is
It doesn’t deliberate
Nor hang back
Shamefaced
Thinking
Of shrinking because it lacks eloquence
The word doesn’t think at all
It just is.
Fall
Conjures a feeling
Fly
Of flight
Adjectives describe
Drawing pictures in the mind
It is not the word
That is heard
But the meaning we denote
Which all of course, occurs
In the mind
The word holds no power
Except when we charge it
Then something as simple
As two letters
Which spell
“No”
In any language
Can begin a war
But don’t blame the words
It wasn’t their fault
No
It was the mind which could not accept
The mind that was rendered inept
The fingers that leapt
To
Push
And provoke
And prod
And direct
And I wish with all of my heart
That some bodies were blind deaf and mute
Because they can’t handle words
Can’t begin to accept
Another point of view
And that
Is indeed a problem
Because there is no such thing
As a diminishing
Lack
Of
Words
Words. You always have me thinking in every one of your lovely poems. I love words, though they terrify me, and nobody understands the power of them for good and bad more than I do. They say, and there is SOME evidence for this, that the written word, first in terms of the religious concepts they first represented is responsible for all the divisiveness and patriarchy and many other ills that didn’t exist before people could point to “the Word” as gospel. That before that, oral histories were fluid, more feminine, and less problematic. The “word” was spread by pointing to its written infallibility — a document “God-breathed” and immutable — and people were often controlled by its written use. Words are usually inadequate in best case scenarios, (especially in times of tragedy),they can be often offensive to someone in worst case scenarios. Written, they can’t be denied later, though often still mis-interpreted, regardless. In any form. While they often are so inadquate to define people and relationships and philosophies, often difficult to articulate, they become confined to those concepts, really limited by the written word at times, when often words don’t do situations or personalities justice– they are always slightly incomplete. And always defining in good and bad ways. Yet they are still to be defended, no moreso than when they are those with which you disagree. As I writer, I ponder this all the time. Wasn’t it Jordan Peterson you once quoted: “If you don’t say what you think then you kill your unborn self. When you have something to say, silence is a lie.” You’ve been writing a lot about the value of holding one’s tongue and even wondering, it seems, if words can betray even the writer if somehow ill chosen (you seem to be wrestling with your own), and I agree a case can be made for that- perhaps especially if they are words not chosen with care. Perhaps. And I’ve seen words I knew would have been better unuttered by some, sometimes a few of my own words. But with rare exceptions, is that the point? Above all, our words should never be abandoned or denied under threat of repercussions from anyone. A place we now find ourselves in the era of cancel culture. In those instances, silence becomes a betrayal of our very essence in a way that kills one’s unborn self and crushes the human spirit. Irreperably. I’ve been considering as you probalby know leaving this blog, so I am wrestling with many of the same conundrums. I don’t have all the answers, but there are gut feelings about it all. I love reading your work. There are few bloggers I follow that inspire me to reflect on life as much — all while the cadence of your words is a pure joy. It seems hard to believe that a writer mentor friend of mine once described me as having a “buoyant spirit.” I’m not sure that was really true or is quite accurate now. But that’s how I think of you. And I admire your work ethic even more since I’m failing so much in mine. But these are times in which we as writers really need to weigh our relationship with them. Hmm, I may copy this, tweak it, and post it on my own blog. Thanks as usual, for helping me sort. Lynn
Always a pleasure, thanks Lynn.
Great poem. You have put some deep thought into this piece. There is a lot of truth here.
Thanks – the thoughts bubble out rather than go in though 😊
Thanks for reading 😊
Thanks!
Well said. “No” can be a highly charged word used by a woman.
Nice flow , enjoyed , eco 🌱
Thanks 😊