Words Poem by Raymond Farrell

On the surface
Words appear
To be a straight forward
Simple way
Of imparting meaning
But the innocence
Of the child
Quickly disappears
Upon learning
This is not the case
Even the words
Men have fought
And died for
Have been trailled
Through the mud
Besmirched, and employed
Without the dignity
Of bygone eras
Words like love,
Freedom and democracy
Discourse has been rendered difficult
Because we speak the same language
But bring our own
Subjective assumptions to bear
When interpreting what we hear.