I throw you a word:
tight.

How do you respond?

Positively?
    "She and I are tight."
    "You in those tight jeans–perfect."

Negatively?
    "He's a tightwad."
    "Why are you so uptight?"

It's just one word,
yet packed with possible meanings.

Think of all the words you'll use today
(some of us so many words);
each carries a dozen meanings.

It's a wonder we communicate at all.
It's no wonder we misunderstand so often.
It's a wonder we choose speech over silence.

Text and image © 2012 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved.