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Books have surrounded me since I was young

Opening doors for adventure at all angles

Yet poetry seemed to be sparse in the mind

With only nursery rhymes and Suess as a guide

It seemed that poetry's luster would be a difficult find

 

I read novels and encyclopedias

From Narnia to the Britannicas

Yet poetry seemed dull and cheap

Structure so stuffy and formatted

That I left it in a heap

 

Poetry knocked on my door

Robe of white draped to the floor

A mask hid it face so I thought

"Pay attention to this one, I should not"

And shut the door to quickly

 

Time flew by, and my teachers agreed

My reading skills were skills were impeccable

Yet not once could a poet hold my eye

Long enough to warrant my grin

So on the side did I let they words lie

 

My restless mind kept traveling

Teachers trying to open it further

Only to find the trappings and pits

That I set to keep my mind centered

Had dealt poetry and number of hits

 

Again, poetry came knocking loud

New shoes and gloves it donned quite proud

But the mask still sat upon its face

So to close the door I did race

Despite my slowly becoming sickly

 

Soon chaos descended upon my life

Things I had held closed vanished

My own traps that kept me safe did turn

And I soon began to fall from my graces

While I watched what did remain burn

 

Writing held a small hope, and I soon did find

The vast expanse of the poets possibility

Had been wider than I could have seen

Without rhyme or reason, the poets emotions flew

Quickly helping my rubble blossom green

 

One knock was all poetry tried

For all that it knew, I had up and died

But as it turned, dejected once more

I slowly began to unlatch the door

Opening to see what it truly was

 

Its appearance had changed little to me

And through its plaster mask did it see

I stepped forth and took its hand

Asking it to help rebuild my land

Hoping it would not ask the cause

 

If it had not been for the chaos I felt

And the unfair hand to poetry I dealt

I doubt that when I did remove the mask

That I would even had thought to ask

"Is this pure elegance before me

something I am deserving to see?"