Saturday, January 24, 2015

Be Bold, But Remember: You Can Never Take it Back

Words.
Words have power.
Sharp thorns embedded
into flesh, emitting toxins,
slowly
draining
life.

I’ve learned to harness such power—
to topple kings and queens
with precisely aimed words.

But power is corrupting:
not only kings and queens,
but brothers and sisters
have fallen prey to my words.

“Turn evil to good.
Use words not to tear down,
but with them only build up.”
Such a beautiful image:
Pauline murderer to saint.
But weapons of death
aren’t easily wrought
into life.

So I sit
and I watch
and I listen
and I wait
and I pray
that I may be wise,
that when I open my mouth
and let forth tempered speech
I may only nick your fear or your pride.
And if I do stab your heart
it will not simply be to kill,
but rather aimed at a death
which makes way for new life.

So be careful when you ask
or allow me to speak;
words still hold their power,
and I'm still learning to be meek.

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