“I’ll give you the Short Version” June 22, 2023

the gist of those words

helped me become a poet

because it’s this get-to-the-point

that doesn’t make you wait long

to reach the punchline

named for its hopeful

strike to the gut

and expelled feeling

or if it’s quite good

might leave a bruise on the soul

all this made more dramatic

by the subtle breath being held

which is why long poems

could kill you

although a sigh and premature

page turn on a poem

is an easy rescue

leaving the reader

the future option

of a more worthy

fist to the stomach