(for Adam Ford and Dennis Wild)
I write poetry—
because it puts windows where there were walls
because today is a mountain
I’d like to reduce to a few stanzas
because now is the time to write it.
I write poetry, hoping to astound myself.
I write poetry because I enjoy
coaxing words
out of the corral of my ribs,
letting them graze
upon the blank page
under the shade of an adverb.
I try to write poetry clearly, use words sparingly,
each word, a small cog or spring needed
to make the poem tick.
Don’t want to fog or flood
any readers proceeding to the end of my poem,
where they may rest
in the quiet clearing
just beyond
the last full stop.
