by Erin Murphy
Homeland Security officials have urged disaster response staff at the Federal Emergency Management Agency to avoid using the word “ice” in public messaging about the massive winter storm barreling toward much of the United States... The concern is that the word could spark confusion or online mockery, given the ongoing controversy surrounding US Immigration and Customs Enforcement—also known as “ICE.” —CNN, January 24, 2026
It’s frozen water—not ice.
We have mouses not mice.
Say two times, not twice.
Your kid’s hair may be lousy
but it’s not crawling with lice.
Predators lure but do not entice.
Even the city in France
must change its spelling
to Niece instead of Nice
which looks like nice.
Casinos don’t use dice—
from now on, the plural
of die is dies. Take your
chances at the craps table,
on the sidewalk, in your
own car or home. Believe
what they say you saw
with your own eyes.
Erin Murphy’s latest books are Human Resources and Fluent in Blue, winner of the 2025 American Book Fest Best Book Award in Poetry.
