Bobette Bryan's Poetry



How to Be A Poet

Lay the secrets of your heart and soul
open for the whole world to see;

Listen to the wind, to chatter in the crowd,
to raindrops, to the flapping of a butterfly's wings;

Examine stars, moons, clouds, weather,
flowers and people, and take note of
how they're alike and different;

See the beauty in everything
and the ugliness in everything;

Speak to the dead. Carry many
noisy ghosts in your pockets;

Stare at the blank page
until your brain goes numb;

Become a brown recluse and spin a web,
ensnaring all who pass by;

Eat betrayal and live in the belly of a dream;

Build a grand castle and then watch, helplessly,
as it's destroyed by others;

Clean the house. Go through drawers, chests,
closets, and attics in search of yourself;

Touch everything and let yourself
be touched by everything;

Tie your loved ones to a stake
and expose them to the elements;

Loosen the words that get stuck
between your teeth;

And above all, lie.

© 2010 Bobette Bryan






Share |


Poetry Index


Sign My Guestbook | View My Guestbook