May 2012
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 *******
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 *****
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,
*******
and the horse
you wish you could have ridden in on.
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 *******
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 *****
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,
*******
and the horse
you wish you could have ridden 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?
