A Thousand Pictures

They say a pictures

worth a thousand words.

Assume those words are

never ever heard.

Assume the picture

was taken just right,

in a perfect forest,

at perfect time of night.

I've seen that picture

just once or twice.

I know the words it says,

they keep me up at night.

Is there a word worth a thousand pictures?

Can such a word ever be?

Could there be a word of such great value,

that could mean so much to me?

I suppose there's “you”

or “love” and “hate”.

There's words like “destruction,”

and like “pontificate.”

No, they're all worth fifty,

a hundred,

maybe more.

But to be worth a thousand,

that's a lot, that's for sure.

So a thousand words are worth a picture,

and a picture is worth all.

So for a thousand to be worth a word,

there has to be something more.

I guess there was “death,”

“intolerance.”

The word “holocaust.”

Words to describe fate.

Yes, there are words worth

a thousand pictures;

and maybe more.

It's just sad that those

words are so painful,

and they begin the pain once more.