Poem by Lily Swarn

Prompt -A word is dead
When it is said
Some say
I say it just
Begins to live that day
(Emily Dickinson )

A Word Never Dies

Oh no ! How can it ever be dead
Far more potent than a gazillion bombs
It’s effect felt till memory lasts
The divine sound of “Would you like an ice cream “?
As a greedy child with grubby fingers
How it reverberated in pink ribboned halls of a baby heart

The rosy blush at the first clumsy compliment from a gawky male
You heard it in the illumined portals of your infatuated heart
Like a stuck record on a rainy day

The grievous wound of a nasty tempered teacher’s knifing words
Lacerating your psyche till eternity
Hitting out at your confidence after much water has passed under the bridge

The confidence booster to fire your achievements
Letting you stride like a Titan
Floating you on choppy seas
Pulling you up to dizzy heights

A word is
A perennial pat on the back
A smile that keeps widening
A stinging slap that hurts on
A booster shot for sagging spirits
A love letter for a lifetime
A serrated dagger gashing
A hope that keeps the flame ablaze

Copyright Lily Swarn 4.5.2020