The Thing About Poetry

The thing about Poetry is
that you don’t have to explain why
you jumped,
fell, imagined,
transitioned, moved,
left, arrived…..

You don’t even have to know
“the why”
or provide “the why”
shield anyone from a falling brick
apologize for raunchy or randy words
or for your reckless renderings of scenes
into which the reader is cast
without permission

Nor say “sorry?” with a shoulder shrug
for making a reader visualize one thing
while having them think another,
And no need to back down
for verbally shocking someone
leading them to mutter
pre-verbal incantations
for the duration of eternity

The thing about Poetry is
that it is fluid
like water from a faucet flooding and
trickling through the Milky Way
carrying with it stars, raining down…
Yet also burning holes through shields
exposing perceptions in conflict
about the universe—
where carnival people walk through your mind
somersaulting and juggling, snapping whips,
and tight rope walking at perilous heights
making you feel great danger in choosing the right words..

And finally,
The thing about Poetry is
that it sends you searching for others
speaking to you
Through poetry
where there is no time and space
Only
the
Persistence of Poetry.