Words We Use Poem by Linda Engwall

They can be a pleasure to hear or disheartening I fear

So very different how they come to us
Sometimes softly like a whisper straining to be heard
Or loud like the thunder blot that frightens you for a moment

So powerful they can be
yet what real value do we place on them
Before we write them down to be read
Or are we just trying be heard
More than we are trying to convey our message

Once they are written, they are given away
We no longer own them in that same way
They can’t be taken back or explained away
They are now subject to my interpretation
But did you mean them that way?
Or are they really just another one of your opinions
Wanting to be heard