
Nancy Mack’s poem
Poetry Lists
Top of my list:
‘Things to do’
Okay, it actually says:
‘Other’ things than that to do.
Lists to starboard
Lists to port
Lists of things to do and sort
And I sort of know that the ‘things’
‘Are’ important…
But… I have a poem inside my head
And, that will not do
To leave it there, unwritten, not said
It seems, I think, rather unfair,
Doesn’t it often seem just like that to you?
I’ll just write it down
Quickly
And then get on with the ‘important?’ things.
But, I just need to read it out
(To see if it works)
To measure how smoothly or not
The rhythm flows – or if it…
Jerks!
I’ll just spend a little time upon the…
Rhyme! Yes, that’s the word.
Because, if I didn’t it may sound quite absurd
When I come to read it out loud for the very first…
Ah… I have already used ‘time’ as an end of line rhyme;
And, for that matter, I’ve used ‘rhyme’ too.
You see, it’s things like that
That can make you look a fool
When you are sloppy with a poetry rule.
But, rules are for fools;
Bend them
And break them
Mix up your metaphors;
Similes: shake them;
like a poet upon a paper C;
With ink of inkspiration
Creating words for your cup of tea.
.
PS
At the top of my ‘To Do’ list
are the words ‘Write’ and ‘Poetry’
(it’s what the poems insist).