
A poem cannot be a bed.
No matter what you’ve read,
A poem cannot be a bed.
A bed can you keep you warm on a cold morning, pushing back the start of the day.
Can a poem do that? Keep away the chill, keep you from rising,
From the mornings bustling and the days hustling?
That’s beyond its scope, wouldn’t you say?
A bed has sheets and blankets, soft and cozy to cover you.
Can a poem do that? Wrap you in its words, like bedclothes,
From your toes all the way up to your nose?
That’s not something words can do.
A bed can keep you safe from nightmares, cover your head.
Can a poem do that? Act like a shield and keep your ghosts at bay,
See you through the night until the sun rises and you’re ready to play?
With a poem for armor, you’d surely be dead.
A poem cannot be a bed.
No matter what you’ve read,
A poem cannot be a bed.
A bed will be there for you, tired or not, day or night.
Can a poem do that? Give you the space to just be,
Accepting you for who you are, not caring what you or others see?
Words on a page, they can’t do that… Right?
……
Loved this post from Rara and thought I’d have a go at it too. Not sure I did it well at all but at least I’m trying to write more consistently and that’s nothing to scoff at these days.
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Prompt: What can’t a poem be? List ten different things a poem cannot be. Then write a poem that attempts to be at least one or more of those things.
I love it! Still can’t quite figure out how to reply from my phone so I made a note to come back. I think you nailed the prompt perfectly. 😀
Glad you like it. Was hard for me to write. I had to keep coming back to it because I’d get distracted before I could finish. Life is so very busy at the moment.
Happy busy? Or too busy to assess? 🙂
A little of both.
Matticus, this is absolutely wonderful. Loved it.
Thank you!