the critics will
never take
this knife away
this blade w/which
i carve
these things
some call them poems
i'm not sure
what they are
& it doesn't matter
the label
b/c they seem
to save some
of those who are lost
or foaming at the mouth
or so alone
they get vertigo
etc...
the critics
will never take
this blade
from my hands
never get me
to quit carving
b/c for all
their sloppiness
for all their
lack of technique
these poems seem
to save a little
& that's enough for
my hand to never
let go of this knife