WORDS

Words of life
words of love
words simple
words complex
we strive to select
those most meaningful
to express what is in our mind
hoping that those so addressed
will correctly interpret what was said,
yet as we know, rarely is it so.

We listen, interpret, think,
analyze, weigh what we hear,
judge, qualify, quantify,
plug in our emotions, desires, moods.
Accept, reject, modify,
use our experiences
our current situations
to form our opinion
ready to express our response
to that which was said.

No wonder then
that we often misunderstand
since no two minds are alike
giving rise to discontent, argument,
emotional feelings on the negative side,
our words with body language and
facial expressions can be enhanced
helping others to understand
just what our carefully chosen words
really are meant to represent.

 

Herbert Holzbauer
© August 2002

Midi: "Voici que le Printemps"

Art: Wang Fu Qiang
(Female Writer, Tang Dynasty)