respecting words

i put words
on a paper page
with a computer––

or maybe
into people’s minds

i type them
& cut them
& paste them
to my heart’s
content

do i cause them
pain?

am i granting them
somehow immortality?

sometimes i keep them
on a page
to mingle with their
pals

& sometimes
in a book
where they have
wider social
possibilities

& sometimes
i release them
to the breeze
to graze
as they please
between the galaxies