There’s nothing wrong with ‘language’, –
To communicate’s the key
So why restrict the ones vereicht
(For many words begin with C)
Come, clarity can conquer crude
Catastrophe of cant
Through substitution of a vowel
It’s obvious what’s meant
When ranting on the topic of
Her least-admired slot
The poetry of metaphor
Reveals what is not
So obvious an object, yet
With strong component parts
Even ingenue construes it too –
What’s hidden of our hearts.
Pray, do not scold our children
As they strive to master terms
Still unfamiliar to those
Well-versed in Chinese burns
The patois of the playground
May be where they first attempt
Expansion of vocabulary
Mastery of feint
And tossing out tame adjectives
Must call a tool as speyed
With far more sense of phrasing
They’ll be that much less afraid
Of talking through their tensions
And timing out their tries
To test the twists and turns of tongue
That trip us up with ties
Inherent to our thinking
The second we’re quite grown
Abandoned truth that stank of youth
We posit the unknown
To bore for Merrie England
While chewing over fat
Discussing nothing needlessly
In stultifying chat
Quite lacking in all substance
Exotic or uncouth
Consigning dreams and hopes and schemes
To corners, dumb, aloof
speech
Inactivism
The ones who showed up
(Nothing better to do)
Who responded – what luck!
This dispassionate few
Lacking courage; conviction;
Lose energy fast
As they gawk at the faction
All hurrying past
This embarrassing spectacle;
Lacklustre, bored;
Ensuring their protest
Is safely ignored…
What happened to fervour
And faith in a cause?
Results of endeavour
Wrought change, not just snores
You want anyone
To accept your world view?
Then there’s work to be done
And it’s all up to you
Not a person will heed
Any nonsense you spout
If you, hasty to lead
Fail to plan for the bout
So don’t wing it on camera
Prepare with a script
Ere the freedom to clamour
Is hastily stripped
Once your message is seen
To be patently dull
You’ll have blown it on screen
For the others as well
Can’t you hear the melody?
Taste the words to hear it play
They’ll teach you how to hum
Feel the sound that waves its way
To ears from tip of tongue
Balance rhythm on your nib
And flick the blues away
Scrawling rhyme to rock the crib
With beats that pulse and sway
Baby in her daddy’s arms
Can only coo and squeal
Taking in all worldly forms
She’s learning fast by feel
We watch her tiny fingers, toes
Exploring as we speak
And note her mastery that grows
Progressing with each week
Accelerate articulation
Let her tell us soon
What kick-starts mad coordination
Of her stars and moon
Katherine Shirley 