Erwin A. Thompson’s Poem “Pretty Words” Lays It On the Line When It Comes to Euphemisms

Our talk and habits change,
As we roll the World around.
No dif’rence how things really are,
It’s just how good they sound!

We have “detention centers”
For those who can’t quite raise their bail.
Sounds pretty good, we used to say:
“They spent the night in jail!”

The toilets all are “rest rooms,” now
Although the “rest” be brief;
A bean, we find, is still a bean,
But a “pee” is such a relief!

Courtesy is out of date,
And big names make the news.
But a “Pre owned” car is just as worn,
As when we called them “Used”!

We’re heading for the “Landfill”,
With a rattle and a bump,
But we’re getting rid of the same old trash
As if it was still the “Garbage dump”.

Death is a fact we’ve always known,
We face our final judgement day.
But that don’t happen anymore,
We simply “Pass away”!

Speak not of being buried,
It sounds so dismal, and oppressed.
We’ve got to gloss the facts of life.
In modern times, we’re “Laid to rest”.

We’re pushing, shoving, all the while,
Reaching for the crown.
We buy at “Shopping Centers” now,
We used to go “Downtown”.

This silly trend has swept the world,
But the thinking is absurd.
You just can’t change the facts of life
With the use of Pretty words!