By Isolde
Date: 15 January 1999

Just Words

The end of an era,
A relationship over,
And I am troubled,
Anguished,
Confused.
Not because
I wish to continue
In this now defective union.
I don't.
I am glad to be free
Of this loveless facade.
My sadness and confusion
Come from words...
Not the bitter words
We are speaking to each other now,
But from the words of love
I found today
In a drawer,
As I was cleaning,
Sorting,
Separating our lives.
Within that drawer I found
His words to me,
Cards, letters, poems,
Filled with words of love,
Filled with promises of unending devotion.
And the strange thing is
I think he meant them
At that time,
With his pen poised over the paper,
Love,
Eternity,
Devotion,
Forever.
But whether or not he meant them then,
He clearly doesn't now,
And hasn't for a great while.
So the question is...
Are they always "just words"
No matter who is saying them?
Do they ever have meaning beyond that moment?
Can they ever be trusted?
Or in the end
Are they always
Just words.