They Tried to Teach Me

the skill
of saying less,

limiting
honesty,

and refraining
from free verse.

I even rehearsed
the tactic,

toiled over
putting thought first.

But, I discovered the sadness
of lost candor,

the suffocation
of disobeying self,

and I do not suggest
suppressing the truth
of a strongly-worded mind.


All Rights Reserved, Elizabeth Bohlander Wilson