What Does It Take To Write A Poem? Poem by Denis Martindale

Oh, come, now, do you need to ask,
As if without a clue,
For something that's so small a task,
You don't know what to do?
Just pick a sound that vowels make,
Like A, E, I, O, U
And start right there, for goodness sake,
They're bound to see you through!

I've got two thousand verses done,
I simply took the time,
I merely did them one-by-one,
Reflecting when to rhyme.
From limericks to better tricks,
Yet songs I've done as well,
Some stories, too, yet just for kicks
Or had a tale to tell.

I must admit, I used to write
With paper and with pen,
To scribble half-way through the night,
But that was way back when.
I now use my computer, friends,
It really does me proud,
So that each reader comprehends
Whatever's read aloud.

I punctuate and grammar check
And study what I wrote
And though I'm now a nervous wreck,
There's no quick antidote.
Sometimes life's light, sometimes life's dark,
That's why words overflow,
So I'll press on towards the mark,
Until it's time to go!


Denis Martindale March 2017.