Some Nice Words by Jenya Doudareva

“Something’s happened”
I overheard

As I noted the people were rushing away
Trying not to look nervous (were they instructed?)
Trying to move delicately and politely,
Catching each other’s quick glances and scattering
Like the assorted members of the Insecta class,
Chitinous bodies trembling in that confusion

That signaled
It has gone too far.

At least it was clear that words no longer had any
Meaning, and to be perfectly honest it’s been
Like that for while. Nice to finally catch on.
A quick assessment confirmed – look at the headlines,
Hear the so-called music of a nuanced dialogue,
Appreciate the magnificence of yelling the loudest.

Oh well, anyway, it’s nice to imagine
That this is how it would go.

Sure, I used to write poems too; some were good,
But writing down some nice words –

Writing down some nice words was never as good
As typing them in all-caps.

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About the author:

Jenya loved precision, so she became engineer and a poet. This is her fourth Vending Machine Press appearance. Her poems are available on Amazon and have also been featured in Clementine Poetry Journal, and her paper on algorithms for safe irradiation of brain tumours is available in an operations research journal somewhere.