Writing Poetry is Not
for Sissies
To write clearly
with
simple words
is
a chore.
My pencil wants
to
write words
that
dance
with alliteration
and
adjectives
(those
dreadful things.)
I have to beat my poems
to
teach them
to
behave, flail them
free of adverbs
and of
clichés;
clean
their teeth
of flowery phrases
they
sneak when
I’m
not watching.
My husband asks,
“What
are you
doing?”
And I have to confess.
“I’m
beating a poem
to
death.”
He laughs, but it’s true
and I’m
not done
yet.
