This is Not a Poem

This is not a poem
Not a poem
A poem
Poem

Poem.
A poem –
Not a poem.
No, this is not a poem.

Poems stand erect,
Fourteen rows of soldiers marching to the pounding of the supreme leader’s heart.
Inspected, inquired, inputted
To withstand the test of time.

So, this is not a poem.

This recounts creatures that ride the billowing winds
Whisper in my ear
Tickle my mind
And float into fading fumes

This consists of words
Unused
Unspoken
Unwritten

This is not a poem.

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“‘This Is Not a Poem’ was inspired by a prompt to craft a new poem based on a tenth of an existing Chinese poem. Naturally, I selected the first stanza of XiXi's 這不是詩 (This Is Not a Poem). Having grown up in Hong Kong, I have studied her work in detail and come to admire her simple yet elaborate style. In questioning the role of a poem, I sought to emulate XiXi's style and gently provoke thought about art.”