Yes Or No Poem by Bill Upton

Whatever happened to 'yes' or 'no' answers?
Just yes or just no.
We answer simple questions with speeches and excuses,
Lengthy explanations and diatribes,
Unrelated information, everything BUT
Yes or no.
We speak like children-
'Did you hit your brother?
Well, he was teasing me.'
The answer is yes,
Just yes.
There's no need for the additional paragraph of information,
Just yes.
In court, defense attorneys don't answer yes or no.
They elaborate as to intent-
They explain the family history from cradle to crime-
'Here's why, here's how he did it, '
While the question was merely, 'Did he do it? '
The segues, the sidetrack games, the sleight of verbal hand,
The annoying psycho babble
Are all utilized to avoid, to masquerade realities.

Communication is a lost art form.
Speaking is confused with answering.
We must remember, for the sake of brevity,
To get to the bottom line.
Most people have little regard for long winded chronologies.
Simple is better.
Simple is appreciated.
Try to save enough 'hot air'
Just in case you want to publish your memoirs!