Words Alone

(using a story attributed to Coleridge)

poetry must be pure
use words alone
and nothing more

they walked up great Clyde Falls way
then thunderous water
soaked their day

he gazed intently, looked for clues
but couldn’t think of what to say
for any word was bound to loose –

but if one word he had to choose
sublime’s the one
the one to use

she too was mesmerized by might
such waterpower
such a sight

but pretty was the word she used
pretty defined her pretty views
pretty matched her pretty shoes

he wished she’d used another word
then much more beauty
he’d have heard

perhaps it was mere female ploy
to move to her
his thoughts destroy

but poetry to be pure
use words alone
and nothing more -

the images that they convey
color only in this way


© Richard Scutter 23 March 2003


Comments on Words Alone

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