What if words were free to fly,
untamed by the pages that held them?
What if they had a life of their own
and were allowed free expression
without constraint, without intentionality?
Where, then, would they roam,
given the opportunity and means?
Where would their path take them
in this new, untamed universe,
of possibility, of probability gone mad?
How would it feel without them,
without the meaning they bring to life?
How would we relate to one other
without them here to help us
to find purpose, to experience hope?
When they’re gone, will we find solace
in each other for all that we’ve lost?
When we realize will our heart wilt,
never again feeling the glorious rapture
of their sweet embrace, their unbridled passion?
Why would they remain amongst us
when we no longer care for them?
Why stay when their masters are gone,
having long since abandoned them
to the algorithms, to machines?
Who will speak for those with fists raised
when their words are taken from them?
Who will we be without words of dissent,
having willingly handed them over
to the powerful, to use against us?
~ elr
Image: ID 143240567 © Romolo Tavani | Dreamstime.com