Words (The New Farmer's Almanac, 2021)

Authors: Rob Jackson

Words

Knowing what to say is like the rain

that comes when it wants, then vanishes for days,

or like a ship that sails into port at last;

people celebrate its return with toasts and speeches,

knowing it will leave again.

Sometimes my words come easily.

I'm as steady as an anchor

on the evening news whose perfect sentences

float off in well-formed balloons

once the camera light turns red.

At other times the light turns red

and I can only screech

to a halt in my car, drowning in silence.

A few feet away, a homeless person

grips a scrap of cardboard,

trying to catch my eye: "Please help."

Silent, staring awkwardly ahead,

I look for change,

a sign of ships or rain

on the horizon.