Poem for Bob
Do not wrestle with a poem
as though it could be
tamed, overcome, subdued
or examined like a laboratory rat.
Do not stuff it, writhing,
into your thoughts
like a python put into a sack,
a dangerous creature
you must control.
Instead, surrender,
let the poem take you over,
seep into your eyes, ears, nose,
let it fill you mouth
with sweet, sour, bitter
or some new taste
you never knew existed.
Trust the poem not to kill you
when it breaks you
into a thousand pieces
then puts you back together,
a new creature
who has seen a little bit of God
and come back shining.
~ Jean R. Sampson