One unwise word…
once it is out there
it is irretrievable,
one unwise word said in haste,
in anger…
It has always been so.
I have been smug
and self-opinionated from the beginning.
I always have to have a strong view
based on my vast experience
which in all honesty never was
and never will be that vast…
I have lost count of friendships
shot down and scattered
across the fields of despair
by one unwise word
Those that I may have loved
turned away because in a conceit
masquerading as wisdom,
I had too much to say
One unwise word
slips out into the ether
and travels on to the end of time
We can never catch it, take it back,
In the war of the words,
one verbal attack is more destructive
than a thousand moral indiscretions
We replay the scenes and inwardly scream
‘why did I say that? I never meant it
and suddenly we are marooned on an island of guilt
with waves of recrimination lapping at our feet
If only I had kept my counsel
and slept on my good advice
for it is not who we think we are
but how we live our lives that matters
and at the end, others will not dwell
upon acts of love and kindness
but every sharp word that stabbed at their hearts
and for us became a life sentence
Kind words will often fall on deaf ears
but unwise words will haunt,
batter and taunt for years
As I review episodes within my life,
I find unwise words
littered across my landscape
all the way to the horizon
lying prostrate with the charred remains
of trust and reason
If we are truly known by every word
that proceeds out of our mouths
then I thank God that I may never know
what people really think of me
but I am sure that their definition
will run to many words and few of these,
if any,
will be unwise.
