how should we torture
those poets whose poems
are built diligently
like 12th grade
science experiments
whose flames are stoked
by being dumped
after dating someone
for a week & a half
what painful method
should be applied
to those soft, little bodies
in order for them to forget
the periodical table
& the formulas
& the objects they never
really held
maybe slide the edge
of a matchbook
across their eyes
slit open their vision
just before punching
a few cigarettes out
on those hairless forearms
so they can braille
the blisters just
before they reach for
the fucking typewriter
again
torturing young poets
Rob Plath is a 37 year old poet from New York. he has published a shitload of poems in the small press. he has 1 collection of poetry and 5 forthcoming this year.