They Say

by Bob Perelman

Every word’s a poem,
but, full disclosure,

whenever I hear
“always”

bang! another hit
to my faith

in the infallibility
of language. I know

it’s not savvy
to take a dislike

to any particular word,
which, after all,

has almost no say
in what it’s

being made to do.
8 billion experts

and working mics
so few and far between.

But always is not
that good a hill

to die on.
Maybe better

to just bring it out
for holiday inspection

and then put it back
with a strengthened sense

of how fragile sequence is.