...

Slacking Off

Our language is changing.....
far more and faster than I like.
Standards are not standard anymore,
and rules don't rule.
Language in the US has become casual,
like our clothing.
And, new words, exclamations and cursing
are replacing pleasantries.
We've become sloppy, and it's because
we're living sloppily.
Personal conduct, clothing and manners
are fake Hollywood.
Do I have to add, how low and crass
that has always been?
Standards are a part of civility's survival,,
but not much survives.
My lament is only a signal lamp
warning about what's ahead.
There is such a short distance
between casually and slovenly.
A cure for slack in decorum is near;
it's called hard times. .


F William Broome 2008