Welcome to The Tangled Branch!  Join us.

It's just a word (Adult language)

General Poetry - post, comment, review, critique
Post Reply
User avatar
Colm Roe
Posts: 2697
Joined: Sun Jan 07, 2018 12:45 am

It's just a word (Adult language)

Post by Colm Roe » Tue Aug 25, 2020 7:12 pm

Some words are bad,
like cunt.
My wife hated it,
my genteel, 87 year old mother-in-law
has had little exposure to it,
and my daughter
shouldn't hear such a word
especially
from her father.

We just returned from four days away
in the West of Ireland, where
they were introduced
to the word.
Shocked at first, but they quickly realised
it is just a word,
that they shouldn't be afraid of words.

We drove, and talked, and remembered
my father-in-law
and used that word to describe everything
that was bad.

And when we ran out of bad things
like other drivers, and the weather, and
not being able to find a nice place to eat
because of that cunt of a Chinese flu
we started calling each other cunts,
and laughed so much we (I) nearly crashed.

Context aside
it is just a word.
Far less shocking than words
that wouldn't make us laugh.
Words like
war and hunger.

Dave
Posts: 1991
Joined: Mon Jan 08, 2018 9:07 am

Re: It's just a word (Adult language)

Post by Dave » Wed Aug 26, 2020 2:03 am

Hi Colm
I enjoyed this slice of family life and commentary on what is really important in life. In particular, I liked the last stanza. I love too how Irish people often adapt swear works turning fuck into feck, for instance.

There are a couple of places where it might be trimmed and maybe using the word bad three times is a little too often since the word bad is a bit bland IMO - unless of course the choice was deliberate and maybe bland is the point. You safely drop the word 'but' from S L5.
Dave
 

User avatar
Colm Roe
Posts: 2697
Joined: Sun Jan 07, 2018 12:45 am

Re: It's just a word (Adult language)

Post by Colm Roe » Wed Aug 26, 2020 7:10 pm

Thanks Dave.
Agree that 'but' is redundant, and I'll be honest...I didn't notice the excessive use of 'bad'; it was a quick write :oops:
It is an uncomfortable word for many people, my wife was truly shocked when I started using it a few months ago. My 25 year old daughter is (as you know) a nurse, and (as you know) they do not shock easily, straight away she just thought it was funny. And my m-i-l is so easy going she 'got on board' straight away too; and she NEVER swears! It was surreal/bizarre/childish but for us it became the funniest word ever created, and it made our little holiday so much more enjoyable and memorable :)

Matty11
Posts: 1585
Joined: Thu Jan 11, 2018 7:58 pm

Re: It's just a word (Adult language)

Post by Matty11 » Sat Aug 29, 2020 9:53 am

Enjoyed this too Colm, nicely defused, though expletives are needed at times as a release valve (my excuse for blaspheming). The conclusion did indeed put the more objectionable realities out there.

User avatar
Colm Roe
Posts: 2697
Joined: Sun Jan 07, 2018 12:45 am

Re: It's just a word (Adult language)

Post by Colm Roe » Sat Aug 29, 2020 7:18 pm

Thanks Phil :)

Post Reply