(100 first)
Sharing the world her laboring tongue
the modern poet knows what
she is capable of when
others insult her usage of words
reproach her senseless paragraphs
impossible to articulate
scrutinize her utter opacity of
meaningful convention.
Words that busily multiply fewer and
fewer cues for clarity
deliberately dislocating language to fit
music shaping sound
her embrace of language as the subject
distancing from deeper attachments
fears, distrust—
obscurity dominates
controls her will
guides her refusal to relinquish elusiveness
and incoherence
her one true way!
over the mindless movement of predictability
and the commonplace.
Her literary path both familiar and
unknowable.
(25)
The modern poet is an instrument
of her own indecipherable form.
A master of incoherence
elusiveness and obscurity.
Her notebook is full of
blank pages.
Prompt: First Prompts for the April 2021 Year of the Ox Writing Contest. Both 25 and 100 words : )