The Need for Words


Of what,
By what,
From what,
This means of persuasion?

Once upon cave protected walls,
On to clay and parchment,
Served today by paper and digits.

All wrenched from bodies of experience,
Active minds unafraid to think,
Forging yesterday’s observations
Into today’s interpretation.

Of what,
By what,
From what,
Incites this act come forth?

Original ideas,
Once oblique,
Now of chance
Wanting only to elicit truth.

We of the verbal maze,
With unabashed fingers and pens,
Urge keyboard and ink,
To forge articulation,
To risk failure to connect.

Of what,
By what,
From what,
Provokes us?

Perhaps skillful imagination
Renders depressed moods lifted,
Ignites cognitive fireworks,
Propels shadow into light.

And at some point…

Even though forgetful words sometimes speak
From bindings of leather,
Off script and manuscript
Big screen and iPad alike,
We dream of words providing something
Beyond the mind/body experience,

Confirming authorship’s innate purpose
Is not of achieving greatness,
But to give the feeling of greatness
To everyone growing a bit more because of the words.

Of what
By what
From what
Is a living Q and A?

Perhaps the lesson to learn,
Is that anonymity needs not the glory of itself,
But merely to be amongst the “ah hah” of its readers.