soap raze he was six or seven years old on a saturday morning when he heard the word shit for the first time. it was said in some movie, something he found on television before anyone else was up. the movie didn't make any lasting impression, but the word did. the word was something new. he walked into the bedroom shared by one blood parent and one imitation parent and asked the imitation parent, "what does shit mean?" the imitation parent said something like, "nnngggmmmnnn." it was one of those sounds people make when they're awake enough to not be asleep anymore but not by much. he got out of bed, took the child's hand, led him into the bathroom, and shoved a bar of soap in his mouth. maybe it was dove. maybe it was something cheaper. it was white. he went back to bed without saying anything that was a word, and the child stood there chewing on soap. he didn't cry. it wasn't traumatic. it wasn't anything. all it taught him was what soap tasted like. it wasn't something he wanted to taste again, but it wasn't the worst thing he'd tasted. he washed it away with water and went back to the living room to watch tv with a cleaner tongue. he still didn't know what shit meant. he learned that from some other movie some other morning, probably. 140508 ... flowerock my mom just laughed and laughed when I said "swear words" I had no idea why they were so funny. 140508 what's it to you? who go blather from