Less is More

I hear

less used

more frequently

than what 

“should be”

fewer.

It drives me

nuts

and cuts

to my 

guts

as I wince

at the evidence

of ignorance

and intolerance

to abide

by rules

of shared

expression.

My confession

as a grammar

cop

is no

drop

the mic

situation.

I know 

the flow

of communication

is a slow

evolution

of sorts.

Each generation

adds iteration

and creates

itself

anew.

I know

I shouldn’t

hammer

the skew

in grammar

but it sounds

so wrong

to me. 

Grammar

rules!

But schools

of thought

have taught

that what

is indicated

is complicated.

Or maybe 

it’s all 

for naught.

The mixing

of quantity

and quality

reflects society’s

confusion.

“Less” 

is more

often used

than “fewer”,

as newer

conventions

take hold.

I’m not quite

sold

on what sounds

merely

lazy,

lacking knowledge

of distinctions.

But what’s

the difference?

Many hands

make 

more work

(and fewer

make less).

I know

that no

one cares

about 

my woe,

(except

perhaps

a few 

of you).

Rules

may be

meant

to be

broken,

but deciphering

meaning

is confusing

enough,

much less

when more

than intended

rules 

are upended.

Am I

crazy?

Are we 

just lazy?

Or is a hazy

recollection

of the collection

of rules

more 

or less

too much

to ask?

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