Jimbob

Fuck was once monstrous, a great scary word
whose sound struck terror each time it was heard.
Children might say it, but parents would hope
to scrub it away and washed kids mouths with soap.

It rang through the gyms, was written in johns,
employed and enjoyed by bubbas and dons.
beloved by soldiers, cherished by sailors,
but not used in books, not even Norm Mailer's

Though he could suggest it, Fuck couldn't be said
So he spelled f-u-g in "The Naked and Dead"
Dictionaries ignored it for quite a long while
as fuck flexed its muscles and grew potent and vile.

Ladies turned white, young maids blushed in shame
at the frightening sound of that terrible name.
but changes were coming, and coming right fast,
And fuck's fearsome impact couldn't long last.

When it crept into verse and slipped into print,
then we could say it, no more need to hint.
It's heard now in movies and in public speech;
it penetrates places it never could reach.

But no longer forbidden, fuck's lost all respect.
It's become little more than a useless old wreck.
What's even worse, when its meaning was robbed
by that wimpy "make love" fuck whimpered and sobbed.

Like a tired old boxer now sweeping the floors,
fuck's relegated to menial chores.
as a no-account noun or a meaningless adverb,
it dreams of its past as a powerful bad verb.

Jimbob

cellardoor

that was as good as fuckin a virgin by the moonlight in august

see, i still use it as a verb
=P
awesome poem, man

Harry Haller

Jimbob,
I think "washed" should probably be "wash" and "accound" "account".
You could make a few changes to this to make it work a little smoother. I would make it "could no longer last". That is the only one that really jumps out at me as a simple change. Maybe get rid of the "But" before "no longer forbidden".
I would probably cut this down. Much of it is saying the same thing again and again. I think that is very common when trying to write in a strict form though. I would probably try to stretch a metaphor. Less examples but much more specific. I like how the poem starts and Norm Mailers etc. but then it seems to fall off a little. It becomes too wordy for me. I need something to look at or grab, rather than just be told there. I hope this helps.
Regards,
Skylor

__________________
Being deep and appearing deep.--- Whoever knows he is deep, strives for clarity; whoever would like to appear deep to the crowd, strives for obscurity. For the crowd considers anything deep if only it cannot see to the bottom: the crowd is so timid and afraid of going into the water. -Nietzsche

Jimbob

Cellardoor,
I'm glad somebody still uses it as a verb. Fuck would be gratified.

Skylor,
Thanks for the read and the editorial suggestions. I've fixed the typo you found in the last stanza and also found that I'd written "regulated" when I meant "relegated" and fixed that.

Jimbob

slayerofangels

Just curiously, do you know where the word came from?

Apparently, it was taken from military trials where soldiers were dismissed For
Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. Amazing the things they teach you in college, isn't it?

__________________

For Sale: One soul. Mint condition, never been used.

Battle not with monsters lest ye become a monster. And if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you. - Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

Jimbob

Well Slayer, I've heard that before, but check this out.

http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_268b.html


Jimbob