Entry Word: fuss. Function: noun
Meaning: 1 a feeling or declaration of disapproval or dissent — see objection
2 a state of nervous or irritated concern — see fret
3 a state of noisy, confused activity — see commotion
4 an expression of dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment — see complaint
However reluctant, we’re ripped from wombs,
From moist, warm comfort to hunger, cold threats,
Sharp impediments—fraught highways to tombs—
Launched by primal slaps! No wonder we FRET.
And that road we travel—potholed, canted
The wrong way, blind S-turns, detours deflecting
All rationality—mocking maze—scant
Dreams, desire, hope. No wonder we OBJECT.
That ravaged, twisted toll-road (not, itself,
Enough?), blights nature with billboard notions—
Inflicts direction. “Succeed!” “Lust for pelf!”
No wonder we wallow in COMMOTION.
And if, from time to time, instinct impelled,
We skid, swerve off the road, escape constraint—
Swift discipline flays wretches that rebel.
Tight leashed, muzzled—no wonder we COMPLAIN.
So there it is—your life and mine—defined
By “fret,” “object,” “commotion,” and “complaint”
(Whether displayed as verbs or nouns). Confined
Within four mis-shaped molds, we learn a quaint,
Malignant truth (tainted with moral muss)—
Face it—our LIFE’s chief synonym is FUSS.
(1/16/10)