To John

For my uncle John

I don't like my poems

to rhyme

because it takes too

much time.

Rhyming seems wrong

to me,

it always sounds way to

damn cheery.

I don't like putting them in form either.

I can't make a line last ten syllables,

its too long to drag out a thought of mine.

I just want to move on to the next one.

To me,

poems are just:

snapshots of moments,

words to try and describe feelings,

memories you want to share and remember.

I remember you saying;

''there's not enough beauty in the world''.

I remember the places

you showed me and

your memories of them.

I remember you admitting

your mistakes

and your honest wishes.

You have changed me,

made me,

saved me

more than you or I 

will ever know.

Poems are just life

edited down

and I want to avoid 

as many guidelines

as you have.