Poetry Competition
I am no expert,
no expert at all
But when I am compelled
to write a poem
the compulsion comes
from a pure wish
to distil a thought,
to communicate,
to ride language bareback
across the open spaces
of my brain
But you would lasso me,
corral me,
shut the barn doors on me
and the lowing, braying herd
for some self appointed prick
to cast judgement
So that the best possible outcome
is that I step on the faces of others
on my way to institutionalised,
establishment-approved freedom
Well,
fuck you
and the horse
you wish you could have rode in on.
I've been tempted to enter poetry competitions in the past, but I am delighted to say that I no longer have the slightest inclination to do so. I'm sure most are genuine attempts to give poetry a higher profile, but what kind of profile is it when it makes art competitive? If you don't win, you lose, by definition - but if you've managed to craft a poem to your own satisfaction, in what sense can you possibly have lost?
