The Word

I fell in love with words
when I was a child.
Mommy –
I could hear, see, smell
my mom, I could
feel her kisses on my face,
I could taste
the sweetness of candy.
Just one word, mommy.
All love, all caring.
My whole world,
with one word, mommy.

Now I am old,
I still love words.
I connect
with the larger world.
I want to say few
but precise words.
I want to hear few
but chiseled,
sharpened words
to know exactly
what you mean,
when you say:
you know what I mean.

I even look for words
in foreign languages,
I read the foreign poetry.
For I have learnt,
when people speak clearly,
there’s no conflict.
We all become one,
a wonderful family.


Note: Inspired by a poem in Italian,
La Parola, by Paolo Ruffilli