The Very Backbone Of A Poem Poem by Shirley Harrison

The very backbone of a poem

is its torment and ungraciousness?

it's the wheels of life churning ones' guts

from the inside and laying them on the outsides

in the gutter of each poet's soul

then seeping ink

onto each page

gloriously sharing each image

kindly gracing each emotion

whether it's happy or incredibly sad

dull in memory

or as bright as the lightbulb on the ceiling

of the king's castle

thirty feet tall

not to forget the very

dungeons of death

and life's sweet cherry pie

the very backbone of a poem

is the poet

and the ink she seeps from her pen

hopefully leaving her reader

with a tummy full to its rim.