Poem: Polemic

Getting hooked on a word and not hearing much else until it's defined.

Polemic So I read my piece on European politics,     sitting down to scattered applause     and Anthony grinned wryly and said nice polemic For my part, I grunted something noncommittal,     as wry is what Anthony does best     and I was unsure of the word,     settling discomfited back among the crowd That evening my dictionary brought me some relief,     allowing that polemic     meant controversial argument     and not something bitter to be swallowed     (enough irony in that confusion) Yet a compliment loses some of its luster     four hours later, poring over Webster’s Collegiate

This poem is included in Jim Freeman's poetry collection THE SMELL OF TWEED AND TOBACCO available here in print or as an e-Book in your favorite formats.