He said,
I teach poetry
as an argument.   

Similes
squared off
against metaphors,
onamonapia
battles assonance.    

Lines wrestle,
punching
with punctuation,
stanza stitches,
bruised ballads.  

He said,
I teach poetry
as an argument,
a battle,
a war.  

Because words
are worth fighting for,
defending,
and guarding,
until
the last breath.