Potless Wishes Poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar

Why aren't you enraged?

'About what? '

The state of the economy!

'Remember years ago,
When I told you I was 'downsized'?
A new term they were using back then
To declare people were no longer needed,
To perform jobs being taken away from them? '

Yeah, I remember that.
And those jobs were 'outsourced'.
Another term created!

'Right!
And something about the way it was used...
You knew it didn't belong to you any more!
Your 'gut' told you it was gone forever!
Over the years such words as surge, stimulation package
Bailout, rescue relief and mortgage meltdown have been introduced.'

Things 'are' happening rather fast it seems.

'There are some terms being tossed about for introduction,
For folks to absorb and digest!
They were sampling them the other day at the supermarket! '

What are they?

'Vacant Shelfing and Mental Evacuation.

I've dealt with Vacant Shelfing on a number of occasions,
When I was a child.
We use to call that 'Potless Wishes'
However...
'Mental Evacuation'?
That's the term that stumps me! '

Why is that?

'Something tells me...
That is not going to be done on a voluntary basis! '