The Po(e)m:
Not_s to S_lf
I thought it would be good for me
but I find:
No fr__dom, no lib_rty, no _quality.
I stand and say: hot
dog!
with mustard
but no k_tchup? no r_lish?
I grow melancholy
sad.
It is tasty but not
d_licious.
Synonyms for r_d?
-
crimson (too bloody)
-
burgundy (too musty)
-
fuchsia (too flashy)
-
maroon (cast-away?)
-
ruby (Wiz. of Oz?)
(not: carmin_; scarl_t; v_rmillion)
I could adopt most
_xpl_tiv_s,
if I want to,
but I won’t.
I can say: thank you!
but not please.
I thought it would b_ good for m_
but I find:
I can, I
can swim and drown, but not liv_ and
~~~
The Proce(ss):
Initially,
I tried writing a poem without worrying about the letter “E” (a great letter,
by the way), with the goal of going back to edit after the fact. But after I
began to write, I couldn’t ignore the chief objective. I decided to face the
vacancy head-on, rather than trying to avoid the letter altogether. I varied
between leaving a __ in place of each “E” and writing the full word with a ---
through it. The choice to do __ rather than --- ? Fairly arbitrary, but I favor
each word with the --- (aka --- = crucial word). I’ve long known the importance
of “E.” Endeavoring to omit it only proved that importance.
P.(S).
Writing without u(s)ing the l(e)tter(s) (e) & (s) i(s) hard.
-
(E)li(ss)a
