The Troublesome Grappling

Some people think that writers are in love with words.
They hate them.
That isn't entirely true; they find sorrow in their inability,
exhilaration in the troublesome grappling, pleasure in the pain
of never being able to say what they want, and always
being able to say something --like wiggling a loose tooth
they close their eyes to the rush of sharp edges
sinking into delicate flesh, drawing blood, raging with power,
and try hard not to think about the impotence of language
and the isolation of the human mind