Words Poem by Katrina Harms

was it words that found me
or you, who taught me the words
and gave them meaning-
Words have no lone power, nor living matter
unless substantiated by human experience
Would that I, dwelling in lonely chambers
where your unspoken words
given so generously, could be
made to thrive.
But I cannot touch you through the walls,
those paper walls, each line and
mark a bar to my precious cell
You have left the door open,
I am free to escape, for
(words have no lone power, nor living matter)
This gilt cage is my redemption,
a bejeweled cave
where unstroked hands are dreamt of
and a comely face, a vague apparition
Speaks slowly, in a voice once forgotten
Teaching me the words,
giving them meaning.