This Is Not A Poem Poem by Paul Hartal

Poetry revolts against restrictions.
It can take any form it wants
and turn itself even into non-poetry.

Now somehow a visual parallel,
Rene Magritte's painting:
"Ceci n'est pas une pipe"
appears in my mind.
The image shows a pipe
but you cannot smoke it.
It is not really a pipe after all.

And so, by telling a lie
the painting reveals the truth.

Another favorite example of mine is
the story about Robert Rauschenberg
who in 1961 was asked to create
a picture of Iris Clert,
the owner of a Paris gallery.
In lieu of a painting, the artist
sent to Paris a witty telegram:
"This is a portrait of Iris Clert, if I say so".

Personally I like to experiment with words;
To blur the boundaries
between poetry and prose.
Therefore what you read here is not a poem.

Yet, on the other hand,
you might call it a narrative poem,
or a prose poem, or a vers libre,
an open poetic form that sheds rhyme,
consistent cadence, meter patterns
and, instead, it follows
the musical rhythm of natural speech.