When irony loses its appeal and you decide to forego
the cynical sestina or the structurally perfect sonnet of a
Shakespeare in SoHo…
When you are ready to trade in the written equivalent of
a Prius or a Subaru for the more defined lines of an old
Volvo or a used BMW
When you decide to skip the reading in the comfortable
knowledge that
what you hear
is what you heard last month
from the same voices
with different adjectives
When the phrase “open mic” carries with the same
dread as the words “inoperable, stage four, terminal”
When you leave behind the need for ego feeding
by your presence at someone else’s reading
When you’re ready to close your eyes to the world
rather than condemn
Then, it is time to write
This poem is from The Clearing Barrel by Anthony Roberts, published by Blue Jade Press.
Anthony Roberts is a veteran of Baltimore and Afghanistan. He currently lives in New Jersey in a home with beautiful views and interlocking fields of fire.
Listen to our Savage Wonder episode with him here.
He is the author of the Pushcart Prize-nominated Pigtown and The Clearing Barrel.
You can follow him here.