Yes, I Like Like! Yes, I Like Um! Poem by Denis Martindale

Yes, I like like! Yes, I like um! Though others disagree!
And yet, sweetheart, I'm not like some. I'm deep in thought, you see?
I use these short words every day, no kind of shame at all.
Thank God, I speak, it's great, O.K.? It's like a miracle!
While um upsets the others so, I've said it umpteen times!
I still get where I've got to go. I like to write in rhymes!

Why should I feel ashamed of me, like I've done something wrong?
I feel like I'm like I should be! My paused thoughts make me strong.
So pardon me, if I should pause, and meditate a while,
Than focus daily on my flaws, and then forget to smile!
I'd rather be a happy soul! A sweetheart! Just like you!
Than tightly-wound! In full control! For everything I do!

With every word precisely put, and no quick chance to halt.
My word, that doesn't sound too good, correcting every fault.
Why be so strict, like I feel glum, when words seem hard to find?
I think I'm happy like I um! Contented in my mind.
So I'll let Nature take its course, to change the way I speak.
'Cos when I'm perfect without flaws! Just think! I'll be unique!


Denis Martindale. August 2020.