Profanity

Posted by Paul F. Lenzi on May 6, 2017
Posted in: Free Verse, POETRY. Tagged: , , , , . 44 Comments

 

Bby-SchmidtAngrybg

“Angry Man” by Marianna Schmidt

 

 

what is it about language
that tortures the tongue
taught to translate emotion
acceptably even when
feeling hot anger or pain
begging desperate release
wanting human
acknowledgement

curse words were made
for such times
unacceptably honest
expressions that rarely
are misunderstood
not even by delicate ears
polite company
holds to sincerity

 

 

(originally posted December 2013)

44 comments on “Profanity”

  3. enjoyed… there is a time and place for profanity and it should not be a common place, but a rare one…. there are better ways to express oneself… Even in writing I try to use profanity sparingly and only to produce and effect…

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  5. curse words help to find release from emotional or physical pain.

    they add power to an insult.

    They add emphasis to expression lost for the needed adjective.

    in some cultures profanity is not frowned upon as in ours.

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  6. There are situations that prompt a curse word or two, especially if it deals with pain. However, I surprised myself after emerging from hip surgery and the pain to hear my words to the doctor,”Holy Moses, Golly, Gee, this hurts. Could I have a pill,please?” There have been other times when only a “S……t” will do.

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  7. Curse words are channels to “legally” get the anger and frustration out. That just proves (one more time), that a tongue is the strongest and the most powerful muscle.

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  10. This is great, Paul–and made me smile just a bit, as some days I have to keep track of my “swears”, lest they carry me away with them!

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  12. Ah, I really like this one. Curse words are reflections of the unacceptable nature of the event or actions of a person that prompted it’s use in the first place. ‘Inappropriate’ language for inappropriate stuff, but of course some people feel irrationally inclined to abuse them just because.

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  16. You have it downpat…It is so hard to be the receiver of such a barrage of profanity, I must say as I have experienced the anger of one so close to me…I think WHAT causes such anger–how to help–I back away, what else can I do? I refuse to enter into it…and that seems to provoke more of it. Later, when all is calm, I think, the “breath”–the breath behind the words comes from inside…how the person must suffer…I also think, how POWERFUL words are and the old adage of “Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never harm me” does NOT hold true! I think that is WHY it is so difficult for me to write poetry…to take the plunge and chose words carefully so as not to injure…YOU are a great poet, Paul! You should be studied in the schools! Your writing covers such a wide range of insights, knowledge and understanding…and carries with it good and wholesome ethics that need to be out there in our world! Blessings!

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  17. Did you encounter a foul mouthed communicator or are you just speaking in general? I’d love to send this to my niece and see if she “gets it.” LOL Be it from your reality or found from observation, it’s wonderful.

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  18. I am one of those people that had my mouth washed out with soap every time I used bad words. Consequently it is rare that I say them and they used to bother me just to hear them but now I am not bothered by them! Great and thought provoking piece!

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  19. Problem with cursing is that it often occludes the understanding/acknowledgement of hurt and pain we’re desperately needing. Not saying the pain and hurt don’t reduce me to curses, just that delicate ears often tune out, run from them.

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