"The Written Word" by Terri Lynn Cummings, Frequent Contributor

The Written Word

Terri Lynn Cummings

He stuck a pencil behind his ear

lead blunted from words on paper chains

that weighed more than iron 

She reads   mixes his sentences 

with flour and salt until yeasty aroma 

lures her from a life of secret sleet 

then drifts into his realm

held forth like communion

Yet   how do words bear life 

They cannot stroll through a story unread

though bang their fists when called on

Lungs demand the labor of language

all splinter   spark   and ash of it 

Voices resurrect dried pen   barren page

until   at last 

sparrows commune within tall grass abbeys

autumn paints with molten tears

books thicken the marrow of bones 

and ears 

turn 

to their light

Poet’s Notes:  I am awed by the power of the written word, no matter if the words be plain or intricate. They may drown in description or sing like birds, yet when inspired they halt the planet from its spin.