Checking It Twice

Let’s make a list of the
powerful words
the evocative ones
the ones that will
bring forth love
from the cruelest heart
and replace the weeds
with flowers

that will turn the moon full
that will cast long shadows
that will inspire birdsong
that will ignite the flames
that will melt the ice
set the table
keep the pages turning

that will breathe honey
that will create a breeze
that will still chaos
that will cross bridges at twilight
improve tans
straighten desks
and build strong bodies 12 ways

Words that will saw a woman in half
pull a rabbit out of the hat
push worry to one side
unseal fate
instill confidence
and bind together all wounds

Words that coast downhill and
incite perpetual motion
that carry the tune
take the weight off
induce laughter

Words that bring about reconciliation
accomplish big deeds
that fire the imagination
that initiate long years of prosperity
and cause dreams to arise
like fish to the surface

Words that compel the impossible
install, nearby, the unreachable
and allow the inevitable

Words that
share the wealth
save the whales
and give peace a chance

Words
more powerful than despair
words that evoke the once hoped-for
and now forgotten

These words are a way to
define a wish
to tell the future
to make hope real

a way to imagine
a way to begin


- Ted Ringer