The Words Don't Agree

This afternoon was the third round of writers' group.

As you know by now, we start out with a reading and then a little window of time to write a creative response. Today's selection was from The Baltics, a series of poems by Tomas Tranströmer.

The lines that inspired me were:

something wants to be said but the words don't agree

and

...the humming chorus full of mistaken words

So I wrote.

The Words Don't Agree

I hear your words clearly,
but between my ears and my mind
run twisted train tracks
that change them,
flip them,
inside out.

By the time I know
what has been spoken,
their meaning is mistaken,
replaced by years
of other voices
saying other things.

Your words are forced
into the form of my refrain;

A song written painfully,
endlessly,
pressing louder,
refusing to bend to interruptions,
entanglements,
or counter traffic.


(Perhaps your voice
will be the one
to straighten crooked paths
and sing a louder song.)