Words Without Poem by Bill Upton

A speaking habit has turned into a lifestyle
And has grown into a full blown epidemic.
Everyone needs to find the verbal haz-mat suits,
Because you WILL be infected.

The disease is the cautious, smoothing over of politically correct words-
Words designed to express faux condolence in tragedy,
Words designed to delay forward movement toward solution,
Words that are kind, calm, synonyms for, 'I don't know what to do'.
There are the words to buy time,
Words to hide panic in high places,
Words to camouflage confusion, lack of vision, and leadership,
Strong words with full blown knowledge of failure,
Buzz words that stand in line for lack of solution.

Baltimore burned last night.
I heard all the words, the usual suspects,
The shell games used for sleight of hand misleading.
No one stands tall. That's been in motion for a while.
The buck gets passed and does not stop anymore
At Harry Truman's desk.
The words are used with double entendre or with force of habit:
Strategy,
Transparent,
Peaceful protest,
Restraint,
Dialogue,
Civil disobedience,
Zero tolerance,
First Amendment rights-
All of them used when convenient to an agenda,
Most of which are hidden.
All of them are pacifiers to solving real life turmoil.

'Why not another meeting to discuss proper protocol? '

In the meantime,
Baltimore is in ashes
While the politically correct air recycles possible solutions using
Words without.