shape

the shape of my poem
reflects the dimensions
of the paper upon which
it was written
I like to preserve that
kind of thing
for instance, this one
is kind of skinny
because I ripped half
of the page in my notebook
vertically
down the middle
to make a paper ball
for my cat to play with
I didn’t want to waste
the rest of the page
that was still attached

sometimes, I can only
write during slow times
at work when no one’s
looking, so, in that case
I write poems in a tiny
notepad that fits in my pocket
you know, like a waitress
might use to take an order

Other times, I’m like you —
a creature of modern life —
and I just type the shit
into my computer. Often
that stuff tends to read
more like an essay than poetry
because, in another life,
I used to be an academic.
Back then, I was
very concerned with
capitalization and punctuation.
Sounding like a punctilious pedant
was important to me.
The smarty-pants inside me
can’t seem to help himself.

In a pinch,
like if I’m in bed or aroused
from a dream, I will text a poem
to myself using my phone :P
That stuff tends to be
the weirdest, and many times
those pieces don’t sense make
but they’re still fun, as most
semi-conscious
nonsense be to tends…

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