Saturday, February 2, 2019

The Word Jungle


In this world, the use of words has become discretionary.
You cannot rely on the dictionary,
for it seems words are a lot of mumbo jumbo.
It now requires you to be a sleuth like Colombo.
Seems conversing has become like a rumble in the jungle.
Words, I am afraid are in an utter bungle.

They just don’t have the same old meaning,
and depending on the user it can be downright deceiving.
For sometimes words are manipulated.
Then there is the manner in which they are translated.
If the word and the action do not seem to comply,
somewhere there could be a little white lie.

Look at the words, destiny and fate.
They now are words used to abdicate.
No need to find your path home.
Plead you are suffering from some syndrome.
Someone else is responsible for your actions,
life is the result of the stars’ reactions.

The word love has been casually cast around.
You wonder if it can actually be found.
It has become the opposite of what it was supposed to be.
Love is just no longer free.
It comes with strings and expectation.
Love today even comes with litigation.

The meaning of success has been flipped.
The whole of mankind seems to be pistol-whipped.
You are judged by what you possess.
That has become the meaning of success.
It doesn’t matter about your true being.
It is all about your material well-being.

Free will has become a product of the ego.
It is now marketed as our amigo.
Yet, following it will bring you great misery.
There is no magic in its wizardry.
It will take you away from the original source.
Lead you down a dangerous course.

Words are tossed bogusly around every day.
Be careful about what you hear, think and say.
The power of words has been known throughout history.
Abracadabra, Alakazam and Hocus Pocus are the keys to the mystery.
For each of them simply state,
with my word I create.

--Beverly Blanchard

Originally published in:
Into the Waves - Poems and Other Writings (2012)