Love Instead

Have you ever pierced the air
With a lashing tongue?
The words spill out of your mouth
And you cannot gather them back.
Faces fall, feet walk out,
Your heart sinks,
The pain of separation
Gnaws at your bones.
Was your small gain worth it,
To hurt this person you love?
If only next time you would have the will
To shut your lips
And first,
To think,
To feel
To anticipate their pain,
And to love instead.