CANNIBALISTIC WORDS: AN EXPANDED EDITION

"CANNIBALISTIC WORDS" presents an intriguing exploration of the nature and dynamics of language. Its central metaphor of words as cannibals is unusual and thought-provoking, embodying deeper thinkers.

If animals can feast on their own kind, in a ritual unkind,

Could words not be the same, a linguistic game?

Would they, in their abstract realm, commit the same--

Could words turn cannibal, their intentions not as tame?

I have seen, and I bear witness, to such an uncanny thing,

Words that consume others, to their meaning they cling,

They devour the words before and even those that follow,

Their hunger for context, for relevance, they swallow.

"Capacious", an example, would certainly fit the bill,

Its expansive meaning, other words it could kill,

It carries with it such an expansive weight,

Absorbing and consuming, to its feast they relate.

Yet in a twist of fate, it begins to devour itself,

In its hunger to incorporate, it sacrifices its wealth,

A paradox, an irony, it manifests within its form,

A word consuming others, and itself, in the storm.

Is not this the nature, of language and of life?

Sometimes creation involves, a degree of strife,

From the carcass of one concept, another may arise,

In the cycle of meaning, nothing ever truly dies.

Indeed, words are cannibals, in their own special way,

Feeding on the old to bring the new into play,

Through their hunger and consumption, they weave the tale,

In the grand feast of language, they prevail.

:: 06.09.2023 ::

Reviews

[carl]

This is really good. Never thought about it in reference to words but certainly with thoughts I know it to be true, they are all cannibals. big fish eating smaller fish ad nauseam. Great lines here " Is not this the nature, of language and of life? Sometimes creation involves, a degree of strife, From the carcass of one concept, another may arise, In the cycle of meaning, nothing ever truly dies." Enjoyed this read very much -carl

[E.P. Robles]

Thank you very much Carl. A few members here have asked me to read your poetry too. And I will! Peace.