thirty-seven

The Way We Use Words

In my room, in my location
I like listening to the radio
On my old clock radio that's nearly 30 years old
I like the men's voices joking around
Not too serious
The robust and the mellow
Somehow the shapes of the words
Are rounder and less spiky than spoken by women
And smooth and sweet as chocolate
The words are tasty and easy to digest
Not like the words outside my window
When people brake hard and shout Oi and Hey
Staring straight at each other but not wanting to be with them
Not like the people on the radio
Who dont look, cant see, the strangers on the other end
Of all the words they say

I find it hard
If I'm in a shop
I have to pick the words that fit
That are short and snappy but polite
And dont tangle up the other person
Said nicely with a lilt
Then I sit with fellow academics
And have to search for the most appropriate word
For the abstract, obscure and scribbly journeys of thought
How long is this piece of string, this strung together sentence?
One size does not fit all!

I'm a bit jealous of the radio presenters
Giving everyone what they want
Millions consuming words and feeling nicely full
Nothing too out of the ordinary, a one-sided conversation for all