A Word's Worth

They say words don't matter,
But they do.
Ignore all you want,
But the word is true.

Words spoken ages ago,
In humour, angst or heavy blow,
All unite to pierce fine,
At the apt place and apt time.

Words spoken to your face,
Or those behind your back you heard.
Turning you against you,
Word to word.

Words that didn't matter then,
Words you didn't care about.
Words flung upon you,
Now is silence, now you shout.

You act like there's no care,
But the night gets darker,
And in the dark on your thoughtless mind,
Words wage a war,
And pain is all that's left behind.

Words preceded by "no-offence"s and "don't-mind"s,
Those latent in hurtful lines,
Words not meant to be taken to heart,
And words, they're so full of art.

Words pain, words hurt,
Words they lie with honesty.
Words, they speak and words, they shriek
Words, they're laced with mystery.