Lake Superior State University has released its annual list of banished words, celebrating the 50th anniversary in 2026. This year the words are: 6-7, demure, cooked, massive, incentivize, full stop, perfect, gifted, my bad, reach out. WXYZ News
Nothing’s perfect.
We all know
you can reach out
and touch no one,
come to a full stop
with a full deck,
patient and demure,
and still get cooked
by the man who would
incentivize you
to reject
your gifted talent.
Look, massive forces beyond
your control are at work, stringing you
along like a puppy in a warm blanket
or a baby in a car wreck.
Born and raised on the third coast, Michigan, David James has published nine books and has had over forty of one-act plays produced.
