USA

PAPoetGuy@yahoo.com 

Words

I keep words in my pocket.
Odds and ends
amongst the assorted coins,
a penknife,
a lucky stone,
and lint.
Lone words....
none of which mean much
or make any sense
all jumbled together,
but such treasures
can be found
when I reach down deep
to find one
eager to fill a waiting void.
Good words....
not pompous or self-important.
Meaty words....
heartfelt and soulful,
brimming with poignancy.
Words that can stop one in their tracks
and compel them
to go back
and read again.
Best friends
are these words.
Always there....
waiting....
competing for the limelight,
hoping to be in the right place
at the right time.
And they are mine
to use at my whim....
to slip them in here and there,
move them about,
put them in or take them out
and put them where
they look like they're at home.
Special words....
intimate words.
Now and then
I'll find a word
laying on a sidewalk
on the other side of town
or down in the gutter
and I'll pick them up
and throw them into
the melting pot in my pocket
along with the assorted coins,
the penknife,
the lucky stone,
and the lint.

© Copyright, 2000, Edward Bricker.
All Rights Reserved. Printed By Permission.