Catachresis Poem by Margaret Alice

I love catachresis, the misuse of words, creating
a cataclysm in the brain, a catharsis of the mind,
a burning snowball - destroying virgin definitions

I adore mixed metaphors, malapropisms and all
kinds of bushisms – that’s why translation is the
bane of my life; enchanting use of catachresis is

Forbidden, only textbook use and diction allowed,
limiting the metaphors – actually, also forbidden;
too rich in scope and open to interpretation esp.

When titillating the imagination, obscuring the subject
and confusing the reader – but for me, a lover of
mystery, a disciple of Agatha Christie, thriving on

Riddles and open-ended questions - translation
is the most painful imitation of communication
there ever can be!