Sticks and Stones - a Poetic Turn on Words that Burn

How Words May Charm or Harm

"Words -
so innocent and powerless as they are,
as standing in a dictionary,
how potent for good and evil
they become in the hands of one
who knows how to combine them."

Nathaniel Hawthorne
(1804 - 1864)



You built a circle 'round my feet
With rocks that you had thrown,
Then piled sharp sticks of sly deceit
That reeked of false cologne.

The scene was set, and I was bound
To suffer at the stake,
Your power to prove to all around,
My confidence to shake.

I thought we'd found the perfect match;
Your heart was stony flint.
Despite our sparks, another catch
Ensnared you with a hint.

A single word can pierce a heart
And cause a soul to bleed.
More lethal than the archer's dart,
In attitude and deed.

But sticks and stones can't hurt me now;
I've stepped outside the stones.
No kindling will I allow,
Abrasive overtones.

So store your weapons of control,
Your arsenal of rage.
For I've discovered higher goal,
Without a pressure gage.