Playing with words is one of my gifts
Poetry, prose, through pen or the lips
Let me show you what happens
What goes on in this brain
As I introduce you to the art of Wordplay
They march in - then beat, tortured, stretched, and broken
Completely dissected before they're respoken
All meaning pulled out, fully extracted
Give a word no mercy - just straight up attack it
Roll it over, spin it around, toss it up, smash it down
Play with it - make it move, hold it still
Like a cat with its mouse just before the kill
And when the word no longer resembles itself
When it's suffered, collapsed, gone through hell
Give it love, offer grace
Let the word have some space
Place it back on the tongue and see how it tastes
Then the word, encouraged, will offer something new
Will compel your lips and your jaw, your whole mouth to move
Something fresh will come out, unexpected perhaps
Spurred by the word and the knocks and the taps
at the door to your mind -
Same word.
Redefined.
It still fits
But now it tells a new story
Try it again - it never gets boring!
What once was unseen, unknown, and unheard
Has now been revealed by this old-but-new word
"What should I make of this?" many inquire
My advice?
Play with words, not fire!