Words

In mere words, whole worlds may live. The sword of associations, cutting Being into parts. A cognitive kiss of recognition, the birth of an idea into the imaginative mind of the recipient.

Can’t you hear the waves swishing on the beach? Can’t you feel the breeze on your face? Can’t you smell the ocean?

The already familiar lives within, and just some words can conjure a scene. An experience produced by the power of translating placeholders for what they represent.

She smiled, and in an instant, life was worth all the hardship. Like the day our dog sighed in relief for the last time. Or when dad did not come home for dinner, but later that night, two police officers were at the door, and their faces had already spoken.

What a gift to be alive. To feel deeply. To witness the sun rise another day, drawing a fleeting masterpiece on the canvas of the cloudy sky.

Words can be painful, breathtaking, frightening, and even irrelevant. They can make us laugh so hard it hurts, remember a blissful moment in an instant, or make us feel ashamed of being who we are.

Things may begin with a single word or end with one. Sometimes a ‘yes’ means everything you ever wanted is coming true. Sometimes a ‘no’ changes your whole life in a direction you never wanted it to go. Sometimes, no words hurt more than any ever could. And sometimes, words don’t mean what they mean because of the way they are spoken.

They can be direct and clear, precise, uncomfortably precise, or so vague that they are more confusing than helpful. They can be used with the intention to manipulate, to inspire, to comfort, and even to contradict themselves.

Oh, and when we sing the words in song, Place them where the rhymes belong, Fill them with emotions strong, All hearts touched will sing along.

And when we whisper, just for one, goosebumps and heart rate rise in harmony. And suddenly, words turn your body into liquid, and you just melt at the scene.

Such fragile things, words, nothing but sound and symbol. Yet, enough to break a heart, change the course of history, and build the foundation of an entire civilization.

Wield them wisely, share them kindly, and withhold them when silence does what words never could.