Sticks and Stones
An ominous childhood rhyme
Recited as an incantation
To veil truly hurt feelings
Sticks and stones
Indeed are much less painful
Than the unkind
Callous
Cruel
Words
A sting from a stranger
A rack from the beloved
Sticks and stones
Create wounds that bleed
And wounds that bruise
But blood clots
And bruises disappear
But words
Like daggers puncturing the heart
And battering the mind
Stay with us for
An uncertain duration
With delayed or absence of healing
Even a word not meant
Carries the same anguish
As a bullet unintended
And even if one survives
They are forever changed
Alas
Each word has much weight
The weight of heavy iron
'Tis follow to abandon
Thought and reason
In uttering the slightest phrase
For a thoughtless word
Lethally leaves the mouth
As does an inflamed missile
It can never return
And it is too late to avoid calamity.
Copyright © Lord Bard | Year Posted 2017
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