Nonessential Canadian and American Poets - a poem about poems, which is seldom a good idea

Lawrence Hall
mhall46184@aol.com

Nonessential Canadian and American Poets

The words still flow, even though the grants do not
And an old scribbler’s name can never appear
On a shortlist of emerging young poets
Or on a shortcake from the Wal-Mart bakery

Unless it’s his birthday. No candles, though
“Good ink,” they say, never “Good electrons”
And so the words don’t flow, they just – emerge?
And, anyway, emerging from what, eh?

But still –

We are poets: we work, we serve, we write;
We pray that we help and heal and give delight