POETRY PROMPT: SPEAK

Every teacher I had said, "Think before you speak."

Write only about what you know

Now I wonder--

If I just start talking or writing

Whose friend won't I be any more?

You don't have to say all that pops into your head

You don't have to write down every thought

There is such a thing as discretion, and

Some sacred things

Should just stay as they ought

What have we become?

Are we really communicating?

Are we friendly and sweet,

Or cowardly and mean?

I want to hear a voice

I want to look into eyes

I want to touch, and feel--

Not always have to guess what you mean when you write

I don't want to see a colon and parentheses

I want to see your real smile

There's really nothing like human interaction

There's so much that you, too, can convey

Have abbreviations, emoticons, and our new gadgets

Left us scrambling for real words to say?

Every teacher I had said "Think before you speak."

Now I'm speaking

I hope that today

We'll all take a little time from the keyboard

And greet a loved one face to face

VRWc2010