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Maybe it's time
that gives the old words their weight
time laid heavy as deadfall
in an ageing forest bog
each year another layer
to pack compress each year
rotting away from layer on layer

time gives the old words their weight

it is the old words that sound real
that strike a chord inside
it is the old words that make sense
only time transforms into meaning
we have forgotten the context or who spoke
but we claim them as our own
even as poison steeping into our minds

we cannot see that the old words have wasted away
under the weight of time only rotted shells of
what they used to be

time gives the old words their weight.

Cynthia Clarke
Heinsburg AB