A Real, Bona fide Poem

You think that novice poets –
Ones like you and me –
Should stick to writing poems
About philosophy.

(And I tend to agree.)

Problem is, my friend,
I hope you won’t deny,
the acute, poetic moments
of a life more simplified.

(But then, you’re a contrary guy.)

For philosophies, as I see them,
even if it’s not the norm,
Aren’t just made of dead ideas –
But from head and heart, they form.

(Nietzche would probably squirm.)

Experience is the best teacher.
An old line heard before.
And logic is born of chaos –
Chaos emotions bore.

(By the way, I think you’re a logic whore.)

Oh, and poems about “Nature,”
Of leaves of grass or “trees,”
Aren’t always about Nature,
But of Man’s tendencies.

(The best one is called “The Flea.”)

And as for poignancy,
Don’t pretend, my dear,
That you can’t see the “poetic clarity”
Of a single tear.