Munday on Monday: Hem and haw

When unprepared or in a fix

And with my back to wall,

I turn to those time-honored tricks

Allowing me to stall:

I hem and haw

Then add an umm;

But otherwise

I’m mostly mum.

And if full words will not emerge

(Just syllables, no more)

A fallback teeters on the verge

You’ve likely heard before:

I hem and haw

And er and emmm;

But in a pinch

I’ll haw and hem.

Don Munday

This story was originally published September 20, 2015 at 3:09 PM with the headline "Munday on Monday: Hem and haw."