In Short (Poetry)

The trouble with most poets is
they try to be poetic —
strive for what they judge to be
a clever intellectual pyrotechnical
display of words exploding on the page.

They choose firework-words to dazzle
but somewhere along the way
rain gets in their box of sparklers —
damps their witty squibs
and bangers do no more than phut
before they die.

They should try candles —
trust to the old and steady flame
that burns its quiet truth —
outlasts the show-off flare
of rockets fizzing with moonstruck ideas
that barely leave the ground.

The idea is a spark —
a match to set a sleeping wick on fire
and spread its honest glow —
share the light around a while —
communicate — reach out
in simple terms that touch and change
what little of the world we see
and know.