by Jacquelyn Shah
Little in the news is truly new now,
though it should be suspensed with,
the infelicitous word truly,
which can’t be employed justifiably.
Close relative of truth, a word that’s lost
its eminence since failing
to hang on to sense and signification,
truly must follow it out the door,
down the street, to the junk-yard, to lie
with all the other useless rubbish.
Truth be told (...but remember, it can’t be!)
the word truth had been aging
badly for some time, beginning to resemble
a jalopy, which might or might not
reach its destination,
and while moving, often sputters,
even stalls.
But getting back to news...
The only thing to be said about it,
given its all-too-often-grisly forms––
à la weather, health, politics, economy,
sports, murders, war, etc.––
is: the time has come to minimize
my TV viewing time,
which has truly been nothing more
than an attempt to keep abreast.
And who needs another breast?
Not me, I’ve three already.
Jacquelyn Shah—iconoclast, feminist, pacifist. A.B., English, Phi Beta Kappa; M.A.–English; M.F.A., Ph.D.–English lit/creative writing–poetry. Publications: chapbook, small fry; full-length book, What to Do with Red. Poems in various journals; Winner of Literal Latté’s 2018 Food Verse Contest