Dearest teacher,
There is a reason
A reason why,
Teacher

It is legitimate
The reason
Why you just simply can’t revise poetry,
Teacher

I mean of course you could
But you really shouldn’t
I mean words
Of poetry
Are thoughts
Precious thoughts

You can’t edit thoughts
I mean you can try
But you can also make it utterly
Artificial

Thoughts are everywhere and anywhere
Like you can write your words anywhere on the page
But if those thoughts didn’t come out in a straight line
Then they shouldn’t have to be forced against their will
Because sometimes


Words

like

to

fly

And if you don’t imagine a period after that thought
And it flows peacefully into the next thought
I shouldn’t have to put the dang punctuation there

Teacher,
You can mark all over my research paper any day
But don’t you dare touch my poetry