The Two Faces of Words
By John Herlihy

We use words,
They trip off the tongue;
But what is their true meaning,
Without making us feel undone.
Shame can be a good thing,
Worn as a suit or a summer dress.
With shame we cover our private parts,
A natural instinct that beats in our hearts.
But shame can be a hateful thing,
Where blame features as a casual fling.
Someone catches us in a self-serving lie;
Shame makes us feel we want to die.

One more example should suffice;
A word can serve as both virtue and vice.
We need to think before we speak;
Otherwise, we may seem thoughtless and weak.
Pride can be a good thing;
We wear it like a cloak of colors.
We have achieved something only ours;
We have captured a handful of crumpled stars.
But pride can be a hateful thing,
In which shame features as its middle name.
We have achieved nothing but ifs and whethers;
We have captured a handful of pigeon feathers.

Beware of words that have different things to say;
It’s like waiting for something the livelong day.
Waiting for someone you hope doesn’t arrive,
Waiting for someone that in arriving, you thrive.