January 12, 2018

My most important words are not for public consumption,

Torn apart or watered down in the interest of caution,

Shared privately in the pursuit of underlying truth,

Whispered breathlessly to those I love in quiet time,

Bitten off at the tongue before I speak my mind,

Concealed in code even when put out in public mode.

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This containment of thoughts does not come easily,

When one believes the power of language is everything.

Editing by stripping away the personal flavor of one's words

Feels like pulling the skin off of someone's face

Leaving the skeletal image like some crime scene reconstruction,

A negative that leaves nothing for public consumption.

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My most important words may never see public consumption,

May never be broadcast, italicized, underlined

For some future case study on the power of language,

Or on the unending demands of leadership,

Or on the legacies of lifelong love,

My most important words . . .