WHO I AM

Often, when asked what I do, I say

I am a poet even though the truth

Might more accurately require a

A different response

 

I think I take refuge in the

Romance of that notion and to

Avoid sounding staid or

Engaging in dull conversation

 

“Really”, is the usual reaction

Which calls forth my guilty admission

That I remain unpublished though I

Read in cafes and other arty places

 

Still, I am not lying exactly, it

Depends upon the definition of the

Concept. After all, you don’t have

To pass an exam to qualify

 

So, saying I’m a poet is not to say

 That is how I make my living

It is merely a statement of preference

 To cover an otherwise by-the-book existence

 

Gerald Harris

August 15,2015