New Swear Word

Tommy woke at 3 AM
To yelling, taunts and swears
This time Tommy heard his Ma
Use words he never heard

"Abuse” echoed through the house
Straight to Tommy’s ears
Cowering under covers
Tommy snored on every word

"I’m not going to be…
abused anymore!”
Tommy’s mother shouted
Sounding more like a roar

Tommy woke the next day
Then groggily recalled…
Is "abuse” a new swear word
He knew he had to know

Getting out the big word book
That Tommy always used
Tommy hoped to find
The answer to “abuse”

Tommy was dismayed
On all it had to say
“Abuse” was not a swear word
Though saw it everyday

Bill MacEachern August 23, 2024