Poem for April 25

For today’s Writer’s Digest prompt, Robert Lee Brewer invites us to take the phrase “Everyone (blank),” replace the blank with a word or phrase, make the new phrase the title of a poem, and then, write the poem. Possible titles he suggests: “Everyone Thinks I’m Crazy,” “Everyone Knows the World Is Round,” “Everyone Needs to Leave Me Alone,” or whatever it is that everyone is doing (or not doing).

Here’s my response. It was the first idea that popped into my head, so I just decided to go with it and see where it went.

everyone lived in an ugly cow town

everyone lived in an ugly cow town

(with dull unthinking so many knows down)

birth youth age death

they shouted their  isms they flung their hate

 

women and men (and children too)

circled the wagons to keep not-us out

they oiled their other they drove out their strange

city suburb village grange

 

some people guessed (but only a few

and down they forgot as upward they grew

age death birth youth)

that no one remembered untruth by untruth

 

late by never and why by why not

she always remembered yet never forgot

rake by august and heaven by hell

was anyone’s way to talk but untell

 

somebodies married their no ones-but-him

they nothinged their chatting they danced their undid

(sleep wake work and then) they

said their farewells and unstood by the door

 

stars rain sun moon

(and only the chaff can seem to explain

how no one remembers and many regret

with dull unthinking so many knows down)

 

one day nobody died i guess

(and nobody wept to unmourn the unloss)

all were too busy to stop for a look

nothing by nothing by hook or by crook

 

shallow by shallow and none too deep

and less by less they undream when asleep

someone and no one betwixt by between

and nothing at all can appear if it’s seen.

 

women and men (both worth and unworth)

youth age death birth

unreaped as unsown, they unplayed their game

sun moon stars rain

 

 

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