What's The Difference?

The legato of language and lingo,
The dance of diction and dialect --
Have you ever considered the difference
A little letter or two can effect?

Texture of tense,
Savor of sense,
The nuance in a sentence --
What's really the difference?

....

OAR
ORE
You will need your oar
To reach the shore
To search for the ore.

JIM
GEM
GYM
Jim found a gem at the gym.

PRINCIPAL
PRINCIPLE
The principal lives by principle.

TO
TOO
TWO
Those two went to dinner and a movie too.

FLOWER
FLOUR
She ate a flower
Made out of flour.

ONE
WON
Have you heard the one
'Bout the loser who never won?

DUCK
DUCK
You better duck when someone throws a rubber duck.

PIC
PICK
PICKED
I picked a pic of a pick.

TIME
THYME
It was time to add the thyme.

LIAR
LYRE
He's a liar if he claims he plays the lyre.

SIGN
SING
There's a sign that she likes to sing.
Just look for the n before the g.

DOC
DOC
DOCK
According to the doc,
You can find the doc
Down by the dock.

FORK
FORK
The road had a fork.
There I found a fork.

SPOON
SPOON
He liked his spoon.
She liked to spoon.

QUIET
QUIT
It's good to be quite
But please tread light,
For if you take away the e
And do away with it,
You'll end up with quit.

HOMINY
HOMILY
It's not appropriate to eat hominy
While the reverend gives the homily.

HYMN
HIM
We sang a hymn about HIM.

PREACHED
TAUGHT
The preacher preached
And the teacher taught.
But why hasn't the teacher "teached"
Or the preacher "praught"?

LETTER
LETTER
Have you ever written a letter
Without a single letter?

****

If the reality of language
Rests upon variables so slight,
What does this tell us
'Bout the whole of Life?

© Matt Decker