The Message
Strong in words
Is that enough
Strong, if that, but why
There should be virtue
Antique word for an
Old-fashioned notion
Authenticity, what
Young people often
Teach us
A reason would be good
Thought sometimes celebration
Is enough
Sometimes I reach out to
Animals, even though,
You know, allergic
If they like me it must be
Without words
The word is in the touch
The hand that follows contours
And constitutes a message
The quiet voice
And listening, always listening
And so we might get along
The word is in reality
A different language
We have words
And always should be
Better with them
Listening
Returning what we’ve heard
Offering something new
Or firming up the
Better part of what
Know is old
And good because it lasted
There is love in
This
There is strength
In the word
C L Couch
clcouch123 
April 3, 2018 at 7:31 pm
I like this a lot. Pointing to the need to listen and hear what is being said, but also you write that there is great power in words and language itself. I think both spoken and those things Unsaid, like a dog or a person knowing you like them or won’t harm them through body language and facial expressions, signs of intent, is also very important in your poem above. There’s a lot here and in so few words and I admire your brevity and ability to say what u need with direction.
Cheers
April 3, 2018 at 8:12 pm
Your thoughtful response is encouraging! I’d never want to denigrate words–after all, it’s what we deal in. But that’s not all there is or shouldn’t be. Yes, body language and all the other ways we express ourselves. I do see this in animals, whose words we cannot translate but who say things all the time. Thanks for commenting on brevity. I don’t know, I guess I think a treasure in poetry is that one word can say more than one thing at a time. The form positively allows for this. Cheers, Amanda!
April 4, 2018 at 4:09 am
It’s a good point about brevity. I wish I could do that lol. And you are right about animals that feeling, in their eyes, a paw, or a nuzzle. When I work from home I miss the body language, expressions etc of people, and seeing people as they talk and explain. The back and forth, exchanges p, verbal, and non-verbal so you both comprehend what’s needed. Conveying all of this by an email-like message, or even through chat is so much harder. Often frustrating lol. Thanks Christopher 🙂