They were told not to swear in her house.
From the time each generation could remember
it was the wrong thing to do in front of Mother,
Grandmother, Great-Grandmother,
and now, Great-Great-Grandmother.
for this rule was rehearsed by everyone.
On any given occasion of slip of tongue
she had ready a bar of Ivory soap.
A good cleansing was in wait
for those profane.
I can, in reflective eyes,
see her expression
when Brenda came from New Orleans
with her teenage son.
They had planned
to spend a week at Mother's house.
A vacation she was not eager to entertain.
She griped about their ensuing call
as she covered the twin beds
with white cotton sheets.
Junior had a foul mouth
and she knew he would be rude,
and disrespectful so,
she battened down the hatches of her soul.
When they arrived
Mother wielded a caricature smile,
and welcomed them into her humble home.
Their accent had a twang so unfamiliar,
and the urgency they displayed
just wracked my Mother's nerves.
Yet, the good of my dear elder
let them carry on in their frenzy.
until Junior bellowed "God Dammit"
when he dropped Grandpa's jug.
Mother rushed to the bathroom;
no hesitation,
picked up the bar of soap without delay.
She proceeded in a rush
straight to Junior
and thrust within his mouth
the white soapy bar.
The commotion that followed was hilarious.
He spit the bar far across the room.
My Auntie Fran was walking though the archway,
and slipped flat on her butt with a great fall.
The swear words that escaped
from her angelic mouth,
were ones that none of us had heard before.
My Mother grabbed her heart in pure surprise
but laughter had its way with us that day.
We broke into a chorus
of merriment with tears,
and from that day until present
when we hear another use profanity--
we laugh in remembrance of Auntie Fran.
To swear is rare in my Mother's
cuss-free temple of clean fun,
and the soap is no longer Ivory
it is now Zest.
Author notes
"I swear in that moment, We were infinite"
A contest entry
- Infinite, 10,000 points. by InfiniteCaitlin.
12000 points, ended July 2, 2007, 27 entries
Honorable mention
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Please tell me what you think
Comments
1 - 10 of 10
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Some of rhe lines in this are amazing! Blew me off my feet! This is like a story how a poem should be, not like many I have read though. Captivating and honest unlike a story in the sense that it leaves out some parts like a poem should though loved it!
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Very Indepth
You write well, expressions and imagery to say the least. Gr8
Ephiphany
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I cannot seem to get a grip into the contest. I need to write something for this piece and I can't seem to do it. You certainly write one of the most beautiful piece ever. Keep up the great work and thak you for sharing. you have a fantastic one and bess of luck in the contest.
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You always encourage me. My esteem is heightened from your support.
Thank You!
April
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This was a fabulous story and most certainly hurled me into the past where I recalled vividly the Ivory soap threats in our youth! Even a smart mouth could reap the scrap of the soap, not just naughty words ha! This made me giggle of my past and obviously I found it a thought provoking penning as well, fun! Good luck in this contest, I believe you penned a winner
~Tia
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~Tia
I knew there would be those who could relate to this story-poem. I still laugh at the thought.
I think my Mother actually performed this ritual once on me once. We were both laughing so hard, Mother never got to it. lol Mine was for a smart mouth not for profanity. lol Thank you for making me smile at you smiling.
april nicole
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Hah. I like how the ending is.
And I like how it's a story.
Nice job. : -
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butterflykisses
Thank You for the kind comment. It is a true story my mother always tells. I think the whole incident is comical and poetic. I actually wrote this when I was a few years younger. This is the first time it is posted at allpoetry.
Thanks again!
april nicole
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Yup, No problem <3
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hmmm, this isn't exactly what I was expecting, but I like it still. Very different, I love this type of poetry, theres a depth here, and a sense. I think youre hitting at the infinity that I wanted. Great job. this is an amazing write.
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