When you use words—both hard and soft, Beware of what you are setting aloft. A hard word, when used right, is a weapon; Once heard, it can never be forgotten. A soft word from a beloved is a caress, Best wrapped in lavender, kept in tenderness. And sometimes, on a night so lonely, You take out the words once said to thee— The cruel infantry of words That wounded you with their swords, And the gentle healing strokes That healed those verbal pokes. So when you use words—both hard and soft, Beware of what you could set aloft.
