Holy Mackerel:

Holy Mackerel sky;

there once was a guy,

as hard

as he tries-

Ordinarily;

never felt “enough”

watch my fingers

do that air quote thingy-

Hold on, I got side tracked—

He wanted to learn

to “unlock”

his writing skills

with a pen;

he waved

around pointed as a sword,

Pause for dramatic effect,

his inner critic

cutting himself

down more,

petrified of failure

stunned as I am stumped!

Shyly, shyness, sweetly

he speaks!

Considerate as the constant

friction through clenched teeth

Audibly, he asks

how do I write love poems,

as good as yours?

You’re a Genius!

With a unseen smile

I say,

look in the mirror,

believe in your voice;

we only get one, choice

what to write,

Conviction, context clues

Clearly

are up to you!

Pick up a pen

like a match stick,

and set those readers

minds on fire

That is the magic,

Little by little

I watched

his voice grow

like the whale of Jonas

Louder and louder

Swallow your pride,

up like krill:

cause my guy,

egos silently kill!

I clap for him,

like a round of applause

Then disappear

into the shadows,

WHY?!

Swallow hook,

line and sinker

cause writ-en

words never stops,

even when

the the pen is down!