I Haven’t the Time

by SerenaLantha
1st place Why I Can’t Write a Poem Contest

My mind is filled with many things,

Things of peace and beauty too;

Yet with a busy day ahead of me,

There is nothing I can do

But scribble down a word or three

Describing nature’s infinity

In the margins of a page

Featuring the factoring tree.

Having to hurry to a class

I enjoy after my share of dread

Leaves me with little time

To relieve my weary head

Of words meant for and best spent

On a poem to write and post;

No, I’m too busy, unfortunately,

Learning about ships

On some foreign coast.

My mind becomes heavy

With definitions and facts

Like what makes a simile

And how laws become acts;

This knowledge stems

From used textbooks

And pictureless pages

At which I am forced to look.

Oh, how I curse them

Silently! Oh, how I despise

The strain they cause

To my squinting eyes.

These books, books, books!

They hurt my head,

My neck, back, and more-

This learning business

Has become a real chore.

I say all this with a rising guilt,

For I have not the time

To compose a verse

Or even jot down a rhyme.

I miss my metaphors

And alliterations, of course;

Listing my reasons

Makes this seem even worse.

I know learning has purpose

And is not just a pain;

But I’d rather be writing

If it’s all just the same.

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