ANOTHER WRITER’S DILEMMA  
 
In the threshing, thrashing of the flesh,
she says that if I’m writing poetry.
it means I’m not paying attention.
 
There’s no place in that universe of sweat
for forests, wildflowers,
mountains, puffy white clouds.
The all-consuming nature of the act
precludes the artistic sensuality
from other sources.
She cajoles me into putting down
that pen, squashing up that chunk of paper.
So I concentrate hard on the sex,
telling myself with each
burst of poetic pleasure,
this is not a metaphor,
this is not a metaphor.


* John Grey is based in Rhode Island and, along with previous appearances in IS&T, he has been published recently in Agni, Worcester Review, South Carolina Review and The Pedestal.