Talk

By Dassi Herszberg

Content Warning

This is an interpretive poem, which means different themes could come up from you. Please take care when reading this.

Talk! They Said

Talk?
Talk! they said
Talk?
And what words
Do you
Say
I should speak?
Talk! they said.
Talk?
And what language
Would you have me
Talk in?

 

Your words to
Describe
Pain
Happiness
Anguish
desire
Anger
Resentment
Grief
Love
Joy
Betrayal
Are
Insipid
Inept
Empty
VOID

 

Void
Of
Content
Void
Of
Expression.
Void
Of
Deeper meaning.
Void
Of
Truth.
Talk! they said.

 

Talk?
Talk! they said.
When your
Dictionary
has not the words
And if I were to you use these
words,
My Talk
Would be but lies.

 

You tell me,
To tell you,
The Truth,
The whole Truth
And nothing but the
Truth.

 

What,
With
words that force me to
Lie
By
Omission?
Talk?
Talk! they said.
Talk?
And in what fine,
up standing
Civilized
Language
Would you
Have me
Lie?