A Republican Poem

please conform
to the reality of straight lines,
forget action words
and bent over spines,
erect lofty letters,
connect all loose dots,
be tidy in thought...
don’t play with the plot,
choose expletives wisely,
erase please, the hint
of you on that page,
tread softly in print,
be precise in each vowel,
let consonants grow,
grammar diagrammed
verbs in a row,
threadbare thesaurus
tired from use,
bent pages worn
repetitious abuse,
let’s not get creative,
there’s no need to stray
from puritan script,
just throw it away,
forget the flowers,
don’t bother with seeds,
let your mind wither,
kill every weed,
proper syntax aside,
have we made it clear?
we have no need
for one single idea.

© 2004 #1-1 taf