Cassie Lewis
Lessons for Young Poets
After John Forbes
1.Those poems kept me alive. But had I known
what killed him — I might have lost that battle
too.
Fires now — Fire! Fire!
on every Babylon.
2.
Today I woke up — Hello I’m back! Why not?
A poet’s silence won’t progress it
just continues.
Forbes’ death
blamed only alcohol, cough syrup, pills, but
I have seen the greatest minds of my generation stuck in call centers.
Talent is a health hazard.
3.
The ’90s were especially mean, don’t you think?
Grim optimism was the new realism. Pour white paint
onto canvas. Pour white space onto paper. Habitual cynicism
is just fashion.
4.
During combat
formal feelings come like tanks.
Power immunizes, so yes,
irreverence is radical, but don’t blame
sonnets. Honor the past.
Abandon your most cherished lies.
This is not a contradiction.
5.
During art
failure like a stand up comic
passes out back stage —
war is hell it’s embarrassing.
6.
There are a million ways to say a thing
but only one has your
DNA.
7.
Those poems kept me alive.
Keep going,
do not be afraid of your own heart beating.
