I’m a big believer that words mean something. Words are my love language, and I’ve seen them do wonderful things and terrible things.
I feel that words have value. While we all mess up and say things we don’t mean, sometimes there are people who spout words to manipulate us, to get us to believe we are loved (even as they neglect or harm us), and to mask their actions against us. They will call us names and then say, “Love you anyway!” as if that isn’t a put down. They will have temper trantrums when we say no, that we can’t do what they want, and then tell us later that they love us, only after they’ve spouted the kind of words that leave deep, haunting holes behind in your heart and mind.
There are people who inspire poems about moving beyond those who use words as a weapon. Here are a few lines from my poem, “Your Pretty Words,” which is included in my poetry collection, Poiema.
