Monday, January 01, 2024

"Swear"

Swear. 

Since I am dead sincere: 

I do it not to sway, 
persuade, convince 
or otherwise 

make gains. 
No. 

Make clear! Regardful,
but regardless of result,
effect: from grin to wince
to flush to blush to tears 
in fabric's agony, from wet
to dry to sopping drenched 
in carefrees cares and 
spasmody, serenity, 
felicity as gasps
and gaps of joy 
appear, burst forth, peel
back, appeal,

and pealing free

in laughs like bells,
or chorus coursed 
in sympathy: all that 

plus fries,
or otherwise. 
It's free. 

Do tell

5 comments:

  1. I deliberately omit the word "manifesto" here

    It would be way too "on-the-nose"

    ReplyDelete
  2. THIS POEM WAS JUST CHOPPED IN TWO

    At the words, "Do Tell," along a significant faultline fracture of sense and theme, I broke the whole back end off and instituted it as its own standalone Pt. 2.

    It's called "Do Tell."

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hey, this self editing biz (you know, actually making re-read and edit passes on drafts? Before or as in this case, after PUBLISHING THEM?)?

    It isn't half so hard as I always thought! I might even develop a habit of editing "in the flow," in passes of tweak and tuck, plucky pinch and push, grope, flail and leaping embrace (midstream), shove, HARD-EYE and gentle clean by cut of line and length of arc, as presumably others always do, or have done. They knew it all along I guess, and I'm just finding out. Do tell!

    Have done.

    ReplyDelete
  4. OK.

    Okay, now. Now some restraint, now. Because I see how to a certain cast of eye, that last comment right here (right above) could be slapped dunkwise in as a poem itself! With only minor molding and adjustment! BUT IN THIS CASE, I WON'T

    Triumph! Major proportions? Perhaps, by my standards and practices, yet anyone must admit if so: it's tiny, tiny stakes.

    (maybe later)

    Low-hanging fruit! An orchard specialty for this constant gardener of zen procrastination and occasionally, HATE TENDING.

    That would be PRUNING/WEEDING out of "necessity," when not "in the mood"

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wow, this new redact-and-dunk "comment" practice stands staunch and free, easily liable to clear a TON of the erstwhile/otherwise CRAP out of the poems themselves! Wish I'd thought of it earlier!

    As in last month. I mean.

    I mean, I wouldn't go back and change a thing, further/otherwise.

    ReplyDelete

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