Words

Words are an attempt

To hold on.

You hammer a word,

Or several in a row,

Through skin and bones,

Nailing air to density.

They are brittle though

And splinter,

Unable to bear,

Your anguished weight,

Your desperate grip

Onto meaning.

The O in love breaks apart

The T in hate is wrenched out

The F in life begins to crack

P's head in hope is fractured.

In breathless haste

You set to work,

You glue, you tape,

You mend, you fix,

It's almost done!

Before putting the final touch,

You pause to breathe.

And idly think,

What if you stopped?

Let the fissures grow,

Let your fingers slip,

And gently drift into

meaninglessness.

Arunima Choudhury