Is there a perfect word,
one that is the plum of meaning?
A word wrapped in the husk of reason.
Is there a word that is the vassal
of life’s sleep-walking dream?
Syllables coated with a confection
of sweet memories sugar cookie?
Find an arrangement of the alphabet
that the multitude will accept,
hold the letters to the limelight
of poetry, extend and stretch them
beyond the meter of scofflaw pretenders,
the pedant writers of verse
trying to be hip, or, those that
conform to a convention of acceptance.
A word that tastes like honeyed red clover
blossoms in the mouth when spoken?
This word, does it remedy the ignorance
of narrow minded religious politic?
Can it nourish the hungry soul longing
for the spoken salvation of humankind.
This perfect word, this pittance of cost
to speak, to think, to place in the
felt bottomed silver offertory plate
of scrutiny, this word does it have weight?
Will it stop wars, soothe pain, press
love into the heart, mend transgressions,
will it last past tomorrow, can it exist
in a future without a future?
This word, is it so simple, so complete, so
very powerful that it is mirrored in every
reflection of everyday, in every adversity?
This perfect word does it carry a universe
of meaning, conflicts, and contradictions.
Is there a word that completes the circle
of creation, defining a closure to the gaping
maw of a god’s imagined invention.
Is there such a perfect word?
Yes! The word is, and always has been…you.
Copyright: 2009, Donald Harbour
Donald Harbour Poetry 
wow, you’re a speedy poet. this prompt was just posted.
anyway…
this poem has such great pacing and the movement is very fluid. It seems to have hidden stanzas—but the poem doesn’t need stanzas because everything flows together so well as a whole. The end is great. The way you directly address the reader is subtly startlingly. It urges the ideas of personal responsibility and self-awareness.
and i love this:
A word that tastes like honeyed red clover
blossoms in the mouth when spoken?
thank you.
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What a delightful piece!
I particularly loved A word that tastes like honeyed red clover
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I applaud so many aspects of this poem! It’s a love poem, but concealed as such until the last line. The speaker of the poem seems, at first, to be delivering a self-absorbed soliloquy, but is actually waxing eloquent from the balcony (so to speak) to his beloved. The poem has such delicious texture: chosen words, rhythm, pacing, combination of questions and statements. I love this!
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I love this!!!!! You lead us on with your questions and then BAM — the punch line. Artful executed. Thank you for sharing.
-Nicole
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Beautifully done – great response to the prompt, awesome use of the word ‘plum’, fantastic ending.
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You’ve really seamlessly woven the wordle words into the poem. None of them feel forced. You’ve also written a poem using them about the search for a word–a fitting topic. I really like the list of rhetorical questions, all of which are deftly articulated, and all of which are about the search for human connection or the dearth of it, and then the punchline is quite potent since it is both logical and quite unexpected.
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Donald, the denouement made me laugh. It’s very sweet. And your poem’s a delicious tease.
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This is a beautiful poem and I thought the word would be love, but it was you. You have created a very meaningful poem. Thank you.
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nicely done DH…certainly a plum…perfect word….for perfect wine
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Excellent – the perfect word, indeed!
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Hi Donald,
Hope you enjoyed the ‘soporific balm that calms’ last night! Your poem is great. I particularly like:
“This perfect word, this pittance of cost
to speak, to think, to place in the
felt bottomed silver offertory plate
of scrutiny, this word does it have weight?”
and also
“A word wrapped in the husk of reason.”
Wonderful.
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This poem does a great job of building tension until that final line. Wonderful work!
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