Cyber Catastrophes
Irritated with your friend
and caring not whom you offend,
after you’ve had a bit to drink,
decide to tell her what you think?
Computer keyboard there in sight,
so you decide it’s time to write
an email, filled with words that rend.
You reel them off and click on “send.”
I cannot stress strongly enough
how much you’ll rue your rude rebuff.
It takes long years to make a friend
but one cruel quip for trust to end.
It’s hard to choke back how we feel,
but arguments on even keel
work better than a sharp retort
after you have had a snort.
So this is the advice I’d give.
It’s easier to just forgive
Than to retract one angry word
after it is seen or heard.
If you can’t say something nice,
best you take this sage advice.
Before you go and leap on it,
grab a pillow and sleep on it.
For day 22 of NaPoWriMo 2020, we are to create a poem that reflects a well-known idiom. Mine is one my mother used to frequently say, “If you can’t say something nice, it’s best to say nothing at all.”
lifelessons - a blog by Judy Dykstra-Brown 
Excellent Ms, Judy you are hitting on all cylinders today, and that is not just pillow talk~!
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I love this, Judy! When I was working, I sometimes was really frustrated, especially after a long day, and it was easy to send a message saying what I thought — I quickly learned to put that message in a draft file, which I called “12-hour memos,” and sleep on it. Invariably I adjusted the wording considerably, or even deleted the memo, in the morning!
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Yes.. I’ve lost one friend twice via a really angry email she sent me. After the first time, I decided if it ever happened again that that was it.. and years later she sent me such an unfair diatribe that I’ve never seen her since. I have since learned to do as you do and still have at least one of the emails I’m glad I didnt’ send. it was enough to write it to get the main anger out of my system.
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Yes — the writing often is a great solution — I seldom even write 12-hour messages any more, although I’m tempted with the current political scene!
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And having said that, I wrote one last week — and sent it, too! There was an HOA meeting on Zoom with no valid notice until 2 hours beforehand, and no information about time, agenda, etc in the notice — just the Zoom link! Just enough to tip me over the edge!
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Important issues being discussed?
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Well, hiring a project manager for painting project — painting 197 units. Homeowner forum with a number of neglected issues like a firewall gap between my unit and the next one, like letting the FHA certification lapse due to untimely filing of taxes to CA , and several others. The complex is 30 years old, and there are several major projects in the works. I was so angry that I left the meeting and wrote my rant instead!
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I can see where you would be angry.
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And all that on top of being restricted to home for several weeks!
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Did they deliberately not let you know about the meeting or did they not tell anyone?
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Poor baby…
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The first response was that the meeting was noticed at the pool. Apparently they did put a notice on the pool gate, but many people never go to the pool, especially now that it’s closed! I copied one neighbor on my rant, and he commented that he was also frustrated at having not received notice until late.(like an hour before). It wasn’t just me — and it was typical of the sloppiness of management. They’ve committed previously to noticing the meetings on the website, and haven’t done it! Making matters worse, the regular meeting date is tomorrow, but that’s a holiday, so this was an unusual day, too!
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I’m just wondering if it was on purpose because there were matters they didn’t want people to discuss?
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I don’t think so this time — I think it was an oversight as they tried to set up the Zoom meeting — last month was apparently a phone call-in meeting, so this was the first Zoom meeting for our association. I have wondered that in the past, but there is a portion of the meeting that is closed to all except the Board members.
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You have given very sage advice.
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Pingback: Day Twenty-Three
SO true and such good advice!
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Neat, tidy rhyme, which is so true of these high-tech times!
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Pingback: NaPoWriMo 2020 Day 23 | awritersfountain
It’s refreshing to find a rhymed didactic poem these days.
Yours has a good message, and it’s not concealed in cryptic verbiage.
I like this.
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Thanks, Desdi. I think I do rhymed and metered poetry just to keep my mind working—started to feel it slipping and decided it needed the exercise.
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You may have to take down your “Award Free Blog” tag. 😉
CONGRATS ON being featured by NaPoWriMo! I’ve enjoyed all your work this month.
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Thanks, Eileen. I’ll accept the NaPoWrMo reblog..I don’t have to do anything for it. Ha.
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Another avid endorsement for pillow talk it seems! Good one. And who wants to socially distance themselves from their pillows anyway?
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Not I. I, who has always eschewed sleep, am more enamored of it every year.
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