it’s just a word
or so they say
but it’s far more than a word when its used in rage
it’s more than a word when you want to speak with thunder
you wouldn’t say it’s just a word when you sought to keep us under

asking “isn’t it just a word?”
then i suppose retaliate is just a verb
let me guess, our reaction is worse
than the immediate action of words
you strung together hoping it’d hurt

“so we can’t use words now?”
sometimes i laugh thinking of it as a noun
don’t call me out of my name
that’s a word they used to keep us down
but 400 years ago is not today
if the words slip past your lips don’t stick around
you may think its a joke, we don’t think the same

i guess anything is just a word if you’re reckless
if we could eliminate context completely 
but there’s a difference between being careless
and speaking freely
i speak my mind but i'm not senseless
and nothings just a word but i guess
if you’ve never read into intention
i’ll offer this as your first lesson

to ameliorate the questions 
for the persistent answers you’ve seem to have never heard
some words aren’t meant to be said
then again, 
its not just a word

10/18/2023