Poemetry

Last week I started a new poem

And put it aside for lunch

Where a discussion broke out:

What’s the definition of poetry?

We whirled past rhyme and meter

Talked about language and form

Plumbed depths of meaning and emotion

I felt a queasiness in my stomach

Back at the desk, I discovered

That all my previous words

Had disappeared from the page

I checked software first

Searched memory and psyche

The acid in my innards got worse

As a last resort I remembered

A time honored remedy

And began a three-day fast

Gradually discomfort declined

On day two words returned

By day four my page was a poem

So what is a poem? Of course!

It’s your stomach at work.

Charles B. Neff

7/6/16