The Flower of Words
A cutting, a stinging, a singeing stray word
Though spoken in jest, alas it is heard
And taken to heart, a cankerous blight
A flower struck down, a withered delight.
A word, like a seed, can flourish and grow
Into billowing blossoms of fragrance and show.
Your words carry power to heal or destroy
The poison of asps or encouragement, joy.
Take heed of your words, the wind does not lie.
Uproot all the nettles and leave them to die.
A flower is fragile, its life but a day,
So choke out the thistles and watch what you say.
This poem is about paying attention to the words we speak and the power that they carry. It was published in the Fall 2022 issue of Collage: A Journal of Creative Expression, a biannual publication by the Middle Tennessee State University College of Liberal Arts.
Photo by Elyssha Brooke Photography
