Word Choices

Do we have a preoccupation with death? Since the tragic murder of my niece, Shana, I'm hypersensitive to words like "kill," "murder," "dead," or "death." And I've noticed many cliches and speech patterns where we use these words daily such as:

That project is dead in the water.
Don't kill the messenger.
He's dead wrong.
That's overkill.
The kiss of death.
Don't be a killjoy.
The saying: You can kill two birds with one stone.
The song, "Killing Me Softly" (with his words...)
You're killing me. (As in making me laugh too hard.)

There's ongoing discussion about movies and video games romanticizing death. Maybe we should take a look at the written word and our speech patterns. What do you think? Can you think of other examples?

OUR FAMILY: FOREVER CHANGED

HOW CAN SHE BE GONE?
By Beth Carter

How can she be gone?
She was just here this summer.
Unfair, brutal death.

Still in disbelief.
Our family is in grief.
A sweet, gentle soul.

I hold on tighter
to my family and friends.
She was killed. Still shocked.

Note: This is a combination of three haikus I've written about my niece's recent death. I've written a much more personal poem but will wait until the killer is caught before posting it. Thank you to everyone for your amazing support. RIP, dear sweet Shana.