It Is What It Is Poem by John F. McCullagh

“It is what it is”

-Such a popular phrase!

And folks spread it around

Like Fast Food Mayonnaise.

It’s been used to describe

Economic foment,

The state of the arts and

The high cost of rent.



A phrase often spoken

When you wish to seem wise-

In the loop, in the know,

But it’s all just a guise.

It’s a symptom of sorts

Of our current malaise

You did not hear it much

in our halcyon days.



In that past, half remembered,

where house prices rose.

Where portfolios doubled,

and we all wore new clothes.

We were kings of the world

And we partied till three.

Now we live on fixed income

And we struggle to pee.



“It is what it is”

Is no optimist’s line

It’s a dull sounding phrase

Half resigned to hard times.

It implies things are bad

and inclined to get worse.

“It is what it is”

To me it’s a curse.