Because words make magic happen
They should not be trusted. With your eyes
Closed I could say, “a shining light,” and
You might see yourself as if from across
A sunlit field, like you were a running dog,
Or beside a lake, or at a desk in front
Of a computer.
Or I could use the words, “Korean
barbecue and French fries.” Your mind
would be so happy, all your senses
Wrapped up in the zest and sizzle of
The smells and flavors of the roasted
Meats and spices.
The sounds of words you would mistake
For satisfaction. No field would have been
Raced, no fish reeled in, the tingle of a hot
French fry might be savored as a memory,
But your body would be empty and unfed.
Nothing would have been accomplished.
So when I watch TV, I keep the sound
Down so I can’t hear the words. A fall
Is funny. Or if something breaks. Guns
Can be funny when the people in the bar
All duck and nobody gets hurt. A trap
Is funny if your hand is stuck but nothing
Else. A drunken man is funny, or a man
Who cannot find his chair, his car, his
Words. But you can’t tell sometimes about that.
In my last dream I saw the words, “Cow/
Vow,” on a page in a book. There was more
That made some sense, but I could not
Remember by the time I woke up.
Even when you are not dreaming, words
Can make reality very difficult to understand.