Oh!...What I Wouldn't Do!

For the Sake of the Poem

by LINDA PASTAN


For the sake of the poem

the bed remains disheveled all day,



the dishes loll in the sink

like adolescents. For the sake



of the poem a forest is cut down

to appease my appetite for paper.



A lover is betrayed in print;

hot tea and desire must



cool their heels,

for the sake of the poem.



I am an addict who needs

her daily fix of language.



Children are left uncombed;

unwatered, plants languish.



For the sake of the poem

old age is put on hold.



Oh, what wouldn’t I do

for the sake of the poem?


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from "Margie" Volume 4, 2005