Phyllis Meriwether

They asked me to write a poem. What for? I'm going to write a poem. Pencil? Check. Paper? Check. Wait, this is the 21st Century. Surface. Open Microsoft. My poem? Words. Words, the beautiful combination of just the right letters. They asked me to write a poem. What for? I'm not a poet. I can’t rhyme. It's too free-form. Where would I begin? Just fancy words. Who really appreciates poetry anymore? Does it make a difference? They asked me to write a poem. What for? Money. Money helps open doors. Poetry helps open hearts. You know how many people can finally be heard? Criminals. Children. Victims. The lost. Men. Heroes. The broken. Women. Freedom. Freedom from oppression. Freedom in poetry. Freedom for all. I may not be a poet, but I CAN be heard. They asked me to write a poem. Well, I guess You Only Write Once.