Just the Words

Melanie P. Falina

Show, don't tell
why?
just don't!
one must astonish with adjectives
keep them guessing
give the critics their fodder
let them tell you what your poem means
it makes them feel smart
they solved the puzzle
so don't simply write, or write simply:
'I am lonely'
even when lonely
or bitter or angry or -
or - or - or - - -
downtrodden
oh!
there's a word they'd like
but wrap it in a cloud
float it upon a puddle
don't simply say simple words
though loneliness is simple
it lives in the space that lacks windows and light -
where the only flower stands brittle and sans its sprite -
ah!
they see what I did there
the rhyme is clever
but don't overdo it!
don't make it a song or game
loneliness is only loved when located in latency
aha!
did you catch that?
let them roll those words over their tongues like yoga
but meanwhile
when the poet tires of lyrical gymnastics
all one wants to say - though it's wrong - - -
though no one wants simple words in a simple poem
but it's the truth:
I am lonely -
all there is left to give
just the words

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Melanie P. Falina
Melanie P. Falina is a Chicago‑based poet and music journalist. Since 2014 she has published more than thirty place‑inspired poetry collections spanning Europe, the Middle East, and the United States. She recently published a collection that steps away from her place‑based work, moving into the terrain of trauma and its aftermath. Her work has also appeared in select literary magazines published in the U.S. and beyond.