i take words in my hands
examine their nooks and crannies
lay them on a page
shuffle their assembly
manipulate their meanings to suit my needs
roll them around my head
taste them on my tongue
the bittersweet of a perfect adjective
dancing before a noun
the metallic tang of a callous word
shoved into a sentence against its will
***** of it's innocence
purged of all meaning
lying helpless on structured lines
tramped by uniform TO BEs
i treat every word like a lover
savoring each fleeting minute
i have with such excellence
marvelling at the countless wonders
performed for my amusement
sometimes i'll wake up
and a love i've never known
drifts in the wind forgotten
while i am utterly oblivious to the slaughter of language