for you, specifically

this is a poem for you

the reader

who chooses

to wade through my writing

like a guppy

caught in

a school of piranhas

i wish i could see you

reading

observe what makes

you smile

or shake your head

and abandon me

for something else

if we sat down

to coffee together

(mine is dark roast taken black)

you could tell me

what my poetry

is about

to you

because

you see

we are each as

much authors

as the other

almost every word

of mine

has a meaning

dreamed and defined

by me

whether mad or merry

as the mood took me

but you

impart your own meaning

as seeing without my eyes

and emotions

you write your own version

of what is happening

what was found

or might have been

lost

i find that fascinating

truly i do

how you shape the sounds

in your head

on your tongue

whether your vowels

are round or flat

and your consonants crisp

all of that

is a gift you give

to the act

of writing

committed by someone

else

but adopted

even for just a moment

by you

like an actor

living his playwright’s

dreams

thank you