I’m a little worried, lately

that my words are up to something

mildly nefarious.

It’s not a mutiny just yet

but insubordination

is undeniably on the rise.

In ways subtle and nuanced

these alphabetic characters

are skittling out of line

Look! these just

S  c  r  a  w  l  e  d their way over here.

They have dragged me into

conversations when I wasn’t

quite prepared and pull me

deeper in their witty repartee

leaving me to tongue-trip

in the wake of innuendo

flirtation or smart-ass comebacks

wisely left unstated

t

n

There was that time                                   e

g

I sent them on a missive                   n

a

and they went off on this odd t

e   r   b   o

p                      l

y                             i

to return eventually, on a h                                  c arc

Time and time again

I find I’m sweeping

up behind them

as they drop crumb

trails of implications,

connotations and…