From Words to Words…And Beyond

"Words, words, words"
Hamlet cried
And I fell in love
Young, adolescent, tendentious love –
I caressed and cajoled
Nursed and indulged
Often made them sit on my bare palms
And stared
With long, lingering eyes
Crawled on all fours
Gave them a piggy-ride
Ran around in a whirl
As they sat in the merry-go-round and giggled
Dizzy heights of love
Fell in one swoop
And made me their own
Less indulgent, more possessive I grew –
Weighing, assessing and measuring
I started peddling them
Laid out my thin wares
In garish, gilded frames
Often felt like a whore
Selling her own daughter
Stripped to the midriff
Staring out of the vacant window
Whenever I caught their accusing gaze
I turned my eyes away
Now they’ve grown old
Weak and weather-beaten
In rags and tatters
They lie quietly
In the folds of my wrinkles
The sight of my silver gray hair
Puts them to shame
Only sometimes
They scream from the pit of silences
And make me restive
When I die, my friend
Wrench a string of words
From my silent heart
Clothe them in a corny wreath
And put it on my "mortal coil."
"Words, words, words"
And more words I say
And you’ll fall in love…