'Words' by Elspeth Hinde
Posted by sregan | Filed under poetry
'Words'
Words obscuring meaning
A poet's gravest curse;
Where what was once poetic
Turns to forgotten verse.
As lovers turn to fighters
And youngsters soon grow old,
So may the best of poetry
Eventually turn cold.
It was written to remember,
To survive "lest we forget,"
For we know the human condition
Is far from perfect yet.
So what is it we're scared of?
What causes all our grief
Over some few ancient words
First written as relief?
Words obscuring meaning,
The message lost in haze;
Now wading through Chaucerian verse
Can take us days and days.
Is it inclination
Or simply time we lack?
Shakespeare once made love with words,
But now we've lost the knack.
In an age obsessed with images,
From Radio to TV,
We think less of what we hear
And more of what we see.
One picture's worth a thousand words;
But what is worth one word,
Which conjures up a million thoughts
And waits only to be heard?
Words obscuring meaning,
The plot is getting dense,
But without such words would Hitchcock be
The master of suspense?
Our language is evolving,
And changing as we grow.
But just where is it heading to,
Or shall we never know?
Words obscuring meaning
When the original is lost.
Sense upon each essence
Like a window 'neath the frost.
The world is full of meanings,
They're growing day by day,
Making it more difficult
To find something new to say.
- Elspeth Hinde
