Coat of Compassion

The coat has remained dusty
From eternal ease…
The coat, clawed with deceit...
Genteel, refined;
The coat of compassion.

The coat...redundant,
When words were free...
From the necessity
Of throttling around mankind;
It's erogenous appendages
And irritable outgrowths alike...

Free...
From the clutches
Of confrontation - touch and tear.

Free...
To seek resonance,
Beneath the indiscernible.

When words were free…
As were you,
To impale another thought, another being.

The words now fear…
They fear being heard.
They fear the newfound disdain,
Summoned by yet another fear;
The fear of cloaking
Obscure scars, lightless lesions,
Occult blood which the mind oozes.  
The words aren’t free,
They’ll never be…

Just leave the garb on…
The wiser wear,
The subtle spur,
The coat of compassion.