writing poems i decree

is oft of pain and mirth

and in this way as one might see

its quite like giving birth

so lets begin the scene is set

please players take the stage

bare witness to a miracle

a birth upon this page

apart from rare exceptions

whether poetry or prose

from the moment of conception

a poem slowly grows

it might just be a word

like an adjective or noun

or a certain kind of feeling and you need to write it down

or a picture that delights you

or a quirky turn of phrase

or something that youve heard

that will stick with you for days

when it dances on your mind

for the moment that it starts

is the moment you will find

youre pregnant of the heart

now pregnancy as anyone who has been there will attest

demands a certain regimen of discipline and rest

for as quickly as it comes it can just as surely go

take advice from this old mother

these are things you need to know

so once you find you’re pregnant

find a pen and empty page

and give your whim its wings to fly freely from its cage

let it soar or let it swoop

let it land upon the bed

let it fly around the room in the back of your head

and although you may be scared

you must never break the flow

if you want to write a poem

be prepared to let it go

for the period of labour is the hardest thing to bare

as you never know how long it takes

until the poems there

then once you see your child like the first time i saw mine

you gaze into its eyes and you lose all sense of rhyme

for there it is in glory

the wonderment of birth

as you have helped deliver

one more poem to the earth