And The Point Is... Poem by R.S. Farris

hemingway wrote clearly and concisely.
in fact, his works were so accessible
that thirty percent of us saw just
what he meant. the rest of us

missed the point and had
to be told, like preschoolers
who don't think to laugh
till you've ruined the joke by
explaining the punch line. why

so cryptic? why hide your
meaning, when you claim
that meanings don't exist?
your studied nonchalance
reveals a knowledge of the
soul, an understanding of
the vices of

the heart. but in
your stoic studies, you
found nothing, and repressed
the truth you had. why so

cryptic? you were never
scared of shocking naieve
readers-we can handle truth-
can you?

or can you even bear the fact-
self-evident-that there IS truth?

we watch, in solemn sadness, as
you trudge through wind and rain, as
you go to such great lengths and heights,

for what? to render meaning
meaningless.