When words and thoughts go hand in hand
Willingly,
When they dance together to the band
Of conversation,
When neither one is working more,
Nor dragging the other round the floor,
At last, the dance is worth the name.
So often thought is out of step,
Or else it is the word
That can’t control its feet,
That’s wrong, that’s missed a beat,
Or words command
And thoughts just lamely follow
The steps the words demand.
But the moment when the words fit well,
And when the welded joint is neat,
Well, then the phrase has surely been
In service since creation,
Volleyed for ever to and fro
Over the net of what we mean.
So, thanks again to the happy phrase,
Words that add salt to the give and take,
Those strings of sounds that raise a smile
When, once in a while, we get them right
And say what we intend to say.