The In-Between

Trying too hard
To be what others want you to be
Rejection via email
And uncomfortable silence

Don’t push, don’t push
Change the narrative
Explore other expressions
But this is what I want

And so, to putter
To look for forward motion
While traveling in reverse
The in-between state

But when the lights are off
And the only things in thought
What only confesses to oneself
The unattainable goals of dreams

The secret heart of every poet
The quest for the great American poem
Cliché and rhyme
Of status and decline

However, the lands of angels and demons
Are not for wishes and horses
To work, to grind
A return to creation, any creation

There is value in process
In the body of work
Context equals understanding
Therefore, words are worlds

Explore as you will.