Inspiration From A Conversation

as we question
(response to L)




still, your 
formative years
are your cocoon
and open mind,
that contradiction
not lost on either
of us.


yes, dead poets
of insanity's genius
glamour our teary
eyes, but I have my 
doubts about insanity
and genius:  
               that the two are 
               creator/creation and
               interchangeable is 
               nothing more than 
               an excuse for abdicating
               responsibility. 


I say embrace your
past lives that scream
from your pen and 
encase your heart with
interpretations of 
others. 


do not fear your 
sadnesses, but do not
confuse them with 
the sadnesses of those
who've passed before
you: 


theirs, yours, mine
will reveal themselves
neatly, our words a 
panacea for this 
silent written 
world.  


Poem © 2012 R. Burnett Baker