Yes
Yes, I am
Yes, I will
It could be no
And sometimes should be
Without doubt
But life goes better with a yes
To grease the wheels
Or whatever
Yes means
I’ll take the job
I’ll join this group
I’ll marry you
Yes means there is light—
Sometimes after no that happens,
Too—
But the yesses move the world
Not to talk you into anything
Say yes doesn’t mean that all is well
But that the response aims to be
Affirmative in attitude
Or style
And maybe, as the saint says,
All shall be well
No
No is a suitable companion
Keep in a pocket at the ready—
No is therapeutic
Sometimes preventative—
For every now and then
As a sound, well, it brings us down
It’s ingrained
Who said the first no?
Gilgamesh to his kingdom
He would leave to
Find his friend (which turned out to be
a no as well);
Cain who said no, he didn’t know
Where his brother was,
Even though blood was calling out
From the land
Hm, no wonder we don’t like the no
It’s been around
And naught, so to say, for good
But it can be good
Don’t forget its practicality
Often, there’s relief just after
Some wisdom gained
With some unpleasant heat
Some discovery
About what we want
Or for the time
What we need
C L Couch
(Saint Julian of Norwich affirms in her work that “All shall be well.”)
Photo by eberhard grossgasteiger on Unsplash
Rieserferner Group, Rein in Taufers, Italy
Pastel is beautiful!
clcouch123 
March 22, 2020 at 5:38 pm
You present a very convincing case for the yes and the no. I especially like the idea of keeping no in the pocket, at the ready just in case. Wise.
Just to play devil’s advocate though, what about the supine ‘yes’ to the bloody dictator, or giving in to a bully, a threat, a blackmail? And the courageous ‘no’ to the same bloody dictator, bully or blackmailer, the creep who corners you at a party? It all gets a bit blurred when we start to pick words and meanings apart.
March 22, 2020 at 11:00 pm
Sound devil’s advocacy! The yes to tyranny’s rise is wrong and the no to challenge tyranny is brave. Maybe we need to refine both choices and keep them both ready to use. Tools for outcry and for defense, when needed.
(Sorry, I ignored the arrows when posting this response the first time. I think it will come through in the right way now.)
March 23, 2020 at 8:30 am
Basically, I suppose, and what you are implying is that we need to listen and make up our minds, pick a course of action and stand by our decision. Yes and no are no nonsense words, emphatic and immutable. Being true to what we believe shows strength of character, even when what we believe in turns out to be morally wrong.
March 23, 2020 at 6:01 pm
Yes, we can do wrong with yes or no, beyond a kind of first regret that we get over. And there are those who will choose to use the words immorally, because there is a belief that there’s power in perversion. But for those who aren’t corrupt, who simply want to live well, the words might be helpful in taking a stand, as you say, or simply for protection.
March 22, 2020 at 10:58 pm
Sound devil’s advocacy! The yes to tyranny’s rise is wrong and the no to challenge tyranny is brave. Maybe we need to refine both choices and keep them both ready to use. Tools for outcry and for defense, when needed.