A man sat by the coffin of his wife, in black and bitter care.
And as he sat, he saw passing beyond the coffin a troop of bright
and lovely shapes, with clear eyes and faces full of rosy
light.
Who are you, fair creatures? asked the man.
And they answered: We are the words you
might have spoken to her but you didnt.
Oh, stay with me! cried the man. My wife is dead and how I
missed her, please stay for I am alone.
But they answered: Nay; we cannot stay, for we have no being, but
are only light that never shone. And they passed on and were
gone.
And still the man sat by the coffin. And as he sat, he saw rising
up between him and the coffin, a band of pale and terrible forms,
with bloodless lips and hollow eyes of fire. 
The man shuddered. What are you, dreadful shapes? he asked. And
they answered: We are the words she
heard from you.
Then the man cried aloud in anguish: Depart from me, and leave me
with my dead! Better solitude than such company
But they, sitting down in silence, fixed their eyes upon him, and
they stayed with him forever.
Words can really hurt. Do remember the next time you talk to your
friends, family members, spouse, etc, please say something
nice.
When they are no longer with you, it will be too late. 
