Monday, May 23, 2011

Doing it right

"You need to learn to swear," he told me.
"A Quaker like you, so controlled
--it's not healthy."

I wondered if he might be right.
I did feel choked up at times
by the undone dishes and frayed edges,
not to mention the major injustices of life.

Leaning into memory, I brought up
words from TV and novels, phrases
my grandfather had used when provoked.
I rehearsed them mentally,
avoiding the mirror.

A few weeks later,
something he said (I can't remember what),
--a twist of sarcasm, a patronizing hint--
and a voice whispered, "Now."
I looked straight at him
and with a keen and measured ferocity said,
"I just don't give a hell."

In the following silence, I realized
I hadn't quite brought it off.
Finally he said, "If you're going to swear,
at least do it right."

Warning: I'm practicing.
Next time I'll get it.
Mountains will quake.

2 comments:

  1. Why do some people need to practice and others don't? My husband sometimes says "you got stuff in your mouth I wouldn't put in my hand." I respond: "If you've got better words to express this, I'll be happy to use them." It could well be that your extensive vocabulary makes swearing unnecessary.

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  2. Did you see "The King's Speech"? It was fascinating to note how the king could swear without stuttering, one of the few forms of speech available to him. I wonder why that is.

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