(for Adam Ford and Dennis Wild)

I write poetry—

because it puts windows where there were walls


because today is a mountain

I’d like to reduce to a few stanzas


because now is the time to write it.


I write poetry, hoping to astound myself.


I write poetry because I enjoy
coaxing words

out of the corral of my ribs,

letting them graze

upon the blank page

under the shade of an adverb.

I try to write poetry clearly, use words sparingly,
each word, a small cog or spring needed

to make the poem tick.

Don’t want to fog or flood
any readers proceeding to the end of my poem,

where they may rest

in the quiet clearing

just beyond

the last full stop.