By Words Condemned
by Michael Romani

All these playground rhymes
Chasing around in uneasy times
Too many words are lies
And there are no alibis

I wish that I was wise
But, instead I despise
The life I examine now
Wishing for good things somehow

I wish I could tame my tongue
Unkind words spoken since I was young
Though I've managed to keep to truth
I have been harsh since my youth

Word of mine have given away
Memories of this linger this New Year's Day
Right works with right actions
Would bring me far more satisfaction

A child falls and skins her knee
I hold her close to me
These actions coupled with comforting words
Makes all things okay though eyes are blurred

Oh, if only I would keep this in mind
Time after time, I am left behind
In the remnant of my alienation and anger
To this, I fear I am no sort of stranger

Words, it seems, can cut deeper than a knife
I've learned this throughout my life
Sometimes I fee I'm emotionally bleeding out
As one hurt look from removes all doubt

God hates the falseness of a liar
Hearts unclean can burn like fire
There's a darkness in the emptiness
Of words twisted when love was missed

Foul words can slowly fester
When kindness might have better blessed her
Depriving those that we love from justice
Frozen there deep below the chilling ice

Reminders of hurts already deeply felt
Bits of crush that has quietly spilt
Trash talking flames the fire 
Often destroying those things we most desire

Whose you are indeed defines who you are
Who you are, how you will go and just how far
Learning that our careless, slandering words scar
When we rush into quarrels that end by killing our star

That north star of our better and best intentions
Destroyed by our verbal jabs of ill founded contentions
We learn that even a falsely flattering mouth can destroy
Despite our best hopes of those best things we might enjoy

Yet, still we know that words can be spoken to encourage
Moving us past what comes and might just need courage
Our words can have so very much power
Building each other up in our darkest hours

Learning to grow and nurture and grow on the farm
Holds its lessons to keep us from all sorts of harm
Offering words of indebtedness and blessings in our prayers
We can hope to inspire and keep our hopes still there

Given trust can teach one one's sacred place
The best lessons learned are often face to face
Still, places in the heart can grow thick
Sometimes through days and ways that we would not pick

These are my thoughts on this New Year's
Unseen crushes hiding in my silent tears
Words we should never, ever, ever say
How I wish that I instead had fallen to my knees to pray

Keeping Jesus clear and stationed in our center
As a light shining as into the darkness we enter
This Christmas season we need to grow and heal
And perhaps maybe learn when we best need to be still

There and here in this present tense
Is the truest of that which we call commonsense
As careless words of love are spilled into the dust
That is until we finally, fully learn how to trust

(c) December 31, 2017  Michael Romani
All Rights Reserved