Woke Poetry

Tried to write a deep poem,
one full of metaphors like

  a broken spoke on a wheel
  representing a failed promise,

  or a cow chewing its cud
  meaning I'm thinking about
  what you said, but having
  a hard time digesting
  the meaning ...

then there's alliteration
which brutish bozo's
use to banish banality.

Some prefer rhyme which takes time
and expertise which Bernice
who is my niece thinks is a crime.

Brevity demands the perfect
six words to express love,

    In haste, I love you still

But don't be fooled,
the best is verse
free of all constraints,
written with a lofty pen
trying hard not to sound
like wretched prose.

   In the dusk of day,
   still searching for deep meaning,
   tonight I'll leave pen and paper
   at bedside, wake up and write
   poem inspired by the words
   that came out of the shadows
   when I woke at 3 a.m. to pee.