I used to write poetry, quite prettily, With flow and effervescent soul Firm of form and splashed with The color of a thousand heartbeats Of dreams and tears and please-accept-me's, Humble offers of a crumbling spirit And you could hear it in my words If you cared to put your ear to my shell, The ocean in my broken heart churning Threatening to swallow me whole. I used to write poetry, But times have changed, seen me turn orange and fall from my branch. Dry and brittle on the forest floor I feed the worms. I feed the roots. Summer is gone, and winter bears down. I used to write poetry, Now I chisel away pieces of My stony disposition And fantasize of the warmth That once kept my heart aflame.