To A Fellow Poet

With a million tasks ignored
I crave this release
I crave these words

And I remember when he said
that I’d write as well as he did
…
One day

And I remember when he said
that it would simply take time

And I remember when I decided
that the quality of these words
was worth more than their beauty
that the emancipation of the very thoughts
and emotions at their foundation
outweighed any lack of phonetic splendor

And I’m grateful for that revelation
and the liberation that accompanied it

I remember how he built his walls
how he created his own cage
of isolation and solitude
where he could label himself
“misunderstood”
and futilely attempt to hide from the demons
trapped within that stifled soul

And I think now
that he’ll write as well as I do
…
One day.

05/19/04

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