J.S. Porter
How you write is how you breathe
In, out, breath, words
Words dwell within, indwelling
They spell us; they breathe us
Some words burn ; others freeze
English has no sex, but it has smell
The old words always come back --
Mother, God, friends
Do words have shadows?
Yes.
The Devil is smart
He hides in bad words
Words you cannot see
Words you cannot feel
If a word makes you shiver
or laugh or wince or sick
it's not a bad word
Foggy words, numbing words, empty words
These are Devil words
Word as lullabye, as ether
There are no neuter words
All words are of Man or of Woman
Only a sexless language could create a Machine
In French life is a woman you woo
In English it's an it
Endlessly measurable, quantifiable, computable
Ize is the verb; ization is the noun
Words have echo, aftertaste
Auras, aromas, haloes and tails
Roots, stems and blossoms
They leave a scent in the air
And a stench on the ground
Some words cut; others bleed
For a living sentence you need dead words
The forgiving word, the believing word
The healing word, the saving word
These are God's words
God and the Devil are end words in our lifesong
Words make you live more
Or die more
Originally published in Canadian Literature, Fall 1986.