A word
is a double-edged sword,
for it rings clear and true,
but stings with
a red smile.
Me? I am
no wielder of hammers-
I seek not to shriek rusted
blade against blade
beneath the shadow
of the gallows.
I deliver
my attack with callous lips
and loose my barrage
as grave silence
glowers on.
I am
loved by some, and loathed
by most, but my duty
beneath the blight
remains the same.
This battle
is not one of arms and axes,
but one of reading lips
and sometimes
reading minds.
I am
good at playing the part
of the fading ghost who
haunts abandoned
battlefields and
beds atop tombs.
They need
not see me, so long
as they listen, for
I forge and fight with
the deadliest weapon-
a word.