The poem I am not going to write

Heidi Greco

The poem I am not going to write excuses herself
daily, needs to wash her hair, roust the dust bunnies
from under the bed, empty the worn-out clothes
that malinger in her closet.

The poem I am not going to write excuses herself
daily, needs to wash her hair, roust the dust bunnies
from under the bed, empty the worn-out clothes
that malinger in her closet.

The poem I am not going to write makes promises
to pay off the bills, clean up the pie juice
now baked into the oven, sort the mismatched socks
into almost-acceptable pairs.

The poem I am not going to write believes
the world wants happier messages, the children
need prettier sandwiches in their lunches, the books
deserve better poems than I can write today

Aside from two years in Australia, writer and editor Heidi Greco has lived in B.C. since 1970. Her poems, reviews, essays, and fiction have appeared in books, anthologies, and magazines, both print and online. Her most recent book, Shrinking Violets, is a novella published in 2011 by Toronto’s Quattro Books.

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