Simple Words
By John Herlihy

Simple words often have their due,
Words we rely on everybody knew.
The good, the bad, right and wrong,
Strike a note that sounds as a gong.

Simple words have their rightful place,
To fill an ordinary moment with grace.
Simply joy has no special need for folly,
When happy who needs the word jolly.

Simple words make themselves known,
Nurtured in your garden, home-grown.
Happiness, sadness, doubt and despair,
Always a perfection that need no repair.

Simple words trip easily off the tongue,
Words that everyone has always sung.
Lucky does its job as does rich and poor,
Rapacious, salacious but an urge to lure.

Simple words illuminate the emotions,
In the spotlight emerges rare devotions.
Who hasn’t at times felt oh so broken,
Or drained away empty, with no token.

Simple words also cast a harsh light,
To show things we’d rather not sight.
No one will forget the sense of blame,
A reddened face betrays our shame.

A simple goodbye can feel like hell,
Say hello and the body rings as a bell.
Never ignore the use of a simple word,
That has lasting power forever heard.