Some see cunt
as the world’s worst word,
yet Lawrence and Sterne and Joyce
chose the word at queynte’s expense,
which was simply Chaucer’s choice.
And as prick slips into conversations,
fuck is in full flower,
and piss and shit are commonplace,
old cunt retains it’s power.
And it’s not for the sound
some shy away,
or the thing that’s signified,
for pussy or hole are readily used
in talk undignified.
It’s more the combination
of the thing, and the word’s insistence
which sticks in our throats as an active grab
at the heart of our existence.
And some find this reason to be revulsed
but some they would embellish
their poems and prose,so a propos
the Cunt- embrace with relish!
haha…some fun turns of phrase in this…cunt is such a hard sounding word….i think that might be it, that and its use as a slur has such emoption behind it…nice verse man…
Certainly the gutteral sound of the word helps , but that’s the same of so many swear and non-swear words, but in cunts case I think its the the combination of signifiers and signified and no little to do with a male fear of the “other”.
you ABSOLUTELY nailed it… I was grinning the whole time through this…because you are completely right! Cunt retains its power-and despite the bandying about of other and equally ‘unique’ words that convey much much worse- there is something so totally FINAL about the C word. I wonder, how many people who use it though…know where it comes from? Where it originates….your accent totally helps you to roll this poem off your tongue … Love it!
Smiles the inner smile of someone reading a comment that seems to be completely intune with what I intended….thank you Stu
)
You are absolutely right. I like your directness…no pussyfooting around the language. Nicely done.
Thank ye kindly Shawn
Brave. Nicely put! “cunt” is…such a word. See I don’t even know what to say!! Well done! Thought of Henry miller
Not so brave to write , but thought twice about puttin it up to dVerse, half of me not wanting to offend, and the other half, happy with the write and curious to sort the wheat out from the chaff!
Laughing my arse off here, Brian. You’re right, I suppose. Who cares. The word has power, always will. Thanks for this. Whew!
Better take a seat , Jackie! …on second thoughts , if you’re arseless… Better keep standing!
Ha, my mom abhors the word… which of course means that every so often, my sister and I have to let one slip just so she will yell at us. (Mind you, we are 46 and 50). But you did a great job portraying the power we give to a word, in good ways and bad ways. Nice write!
All the best swear words are held in reserve for maximum effect… No overkill diminishing the power!
Cunt is a word a verbal fist in the face that is today non gender specific i see and hear gangs who use it with other words the context now is as a weapon, to literature though Lawrence et al its there the base nature of existence not to hurt but to feel the ragged rawness, Brian this is brilliant and i love it
And it’s a weapon of maximum effect because of its otherness, the combination of desire and the unknown and the punch of the sound which elevates it from other slang terms
Oh, this is wonderful writing
I had two swear-filled pieces to consider putting up and because of its literary bent and the rarity of seeing THAT word in entries thought it was the one to go for on dVerse anniversary week.
So uncomfortable, but so well done. =) The cadence is catching.
You’ve passed the test then … And read through the discomfort!… The cadence was a deliberate choice to encourage reading aloud
That’s good! I’ll have to try it out loud and see how much I flinch even though I’m alone in the office and even though I like the poem.
Ha, right on! Playful – but true.
Ach all the best truths are playful! :-p