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.