A drafted poem

 

Once I was a little kid

just like you.

I had to write a poem

but didn’t know what to do

 

I sat at a desk

with a well full of ink

I dipped a pen in

and wrote what I think

was my best

 

But my best needed work

so I sat down to think;

scratched out some words

with my pen and ink

 

Another word didn’t sound

all that good

so I crossed it right out

and put one that would

 

I did this a few times

then read words aloud

and played with the rhythms

and played with the sound

 

I’d written a poem

that made sense when read

that rhymed pretty well

and it came from my head

 

I’m a grown-up now,

and I’ve written lots,

but some words I write

don’t quite fit the box

 

Still I rewrite the verse

or the phrase or whole poem

It’s what writers do

before they get known.

 

There’s nothing wrong

with not getting it right,

just as long as you make sure

to sit down and write.

Alix Phelan, January, 2017.