Word Picky

S.W.Thompson · Word Picky

​I don’t think anyone would question it
if I told everyone I could be
occasionally “word picky.”
I write poetry;
that is proof enough.
there are several words,
or phrases,
that people and I disagree about.
“nice” is the first that comes to mind.
I’ve had a contentious view on it
for nearly two decades.
“excited” is another one,
though I don’t mind if other people are excited,
I just don’t like being accused of it.
for me, the word suggests I might miss something,
be too distracted with emotion to pay attention.
it’s a silly definition
that only I have made
with no common shared language to support it.
all of the “word pickiness” I have
is related to those feelings in some way.
I attach my own meaning,
for my own oft-unexpressed reasons,
and I stick to my pickiness
despite dictionaries or common sense.
I apologize in advance for all
the confusion this will cause.
my word choice
and, more often,
my response to other people’s word choice,
will start more than a few arguments.
there will be multiple nights
where I should be sleeping on the couch
out of penance for my faux pas.
just as long as you know
that I am equally picky about words
that some people view,
in my silly opinion,
as meaning more than they do to me.
“love” is one word I’ve opined about
steadfast in my belief it isn’t just romance,
it isn’t just anything.
conversely, I think it’s everything,
but that shouldn’t diminish it for you.
when I say “love,”
and you know I intend to love everything,
it doesn’t mean that the love I have for you isn’t special,
because it is,
and,
the reality is,
love may not be the right word for it
you may need me to create a brand-new word.
one I can dwell on and over analyze.
something “word picky” just for you.