LITTLE MEN BIG WORDS

Words that you spoke

To impress the neighbours
Or pull the voters
To sow the wind
And reap the whirlwind
To sow the headlines
And reap the news
Calling down retribution for generations to come
Words like
The War Against Terror
Neutralising the Insurgents
Extraordinary Rendition
British Mandate in Palestine
Partition
Shock and Ae
The Axis o! E"il
#ollateral $a%age
The &od'gi"en right to (ear ar%s
Just the tip of the iceberg
Add your own, theres plenty more
!ore still in the years to come
With editorials
And correspondents
And political commentators
And historians
To assess and analyse and "uantify these words
And tell us what they mean#
Words like wasps
$nticed by the oil%rich $ast
To&ic with greed
'arbed with lust
Consumed by desire
And camou(aged gay as a )illage *ete
Words like
Aid
Protection
N&)
Relie!
*alue Neutral
Border #rossers
Sta(ility Maintenance
Social +ar%ony
Protecti"e #ustody
That herd us +oyfully together
And make us feel good about ourselves
While the $&che"uer feeds silently
At the petrol pumps#
'ut there are other words
,nspoken
-esitant
Confused
Ambiguous
Conveyed by a look or a turn of the head
I,% not sure - - -
What does this %ean - - - - .
I don,t understand - - -
I a//ear to ha"e lost %y ay - - -
#an you hel/ %e - - - - .
I see% to ha"e got it rong - - -
I,% sorry - - -
It as %y !ault - - - -
I %ade a %istake - - - -
These words open doors
And give us hope for the future#
'ut only big men speak such little words#
Copyright $# J# Ward ./01