The Poet's Most Neglected Treasured Intruders! Poem by Denis Martindale

The elegance of eloquence
is often the gift of the gab,
the outbursts of spontaneous wit,
or the hard-pressed edited works
for well-chosen words that arrive,
unbidden, by day and night.
Who can question their origins,
Beyond the guessing of such inspirations?

They ask for no poet's permissions
and they answer no poet's prayers,
they merely present themselves,
as if awaiting their dramatic entrances.

They appear centre stage,
all other words defeated,
granted no equal footing,
no spectacular spotlights,
no secondary chances.

The intruders will not even say, Choose me.
They know the whims of poets all too well.
Why wait to be asked?
Why stay if utterly rejected?
But this proves their justifiable revenge,
When the poets get their poems rejected, too.

So think on this before you, too, dismiss,
for many are the poems brought to naught
by the egos that seek no external or eternal aid,
but wait for the dormant words that yet abide,
until brought forth instead.

These are the lesser thoughts of new poetry,
the future failures and thus, undeserving,
these strained expressions are doomed to remain,
throughout all the years to come,
and no more cherished, even by the poets themselves.


Denis Martindale, for the 15th of January 2025.