What if all the words went out on strike
weary of being misused and abused?
Syllables would float, not caring to nuzzle
refusing to attach to each other.
Peevish nouns all jump into a box
large enough to accept them all
feeling oppressed as objects of desire
while hoping to become subjects of love.
Disgusted by lazy disheveled minds
that only use a few, leaving thousands behind
the verbs are rushing to find a thesaurus,
while adverbs are seen hunkering stealthily in the forest.
Whole paragraphs go naked without words
no foundation, all structure, no volume, no form.
They creep to a theater to hear language profound
“Dumb and Dumber” is all they could find.
Try to imagine a wordless world,
no plays, few games, no books of distinction.
Gather these participles, gerunds and phrases            
enjoin them to return to elevated places.

Loraine Brink