I Wanna Write a Short Poem

Written by: ilene bauer

I wanna write a short poem - 
Eliminate the fluff - 
But somehow just a few lines
Don't ever seem enough.

I wanna write succinctly
And chop down to the core,
Yet all the words I whittle
Keep coming back for more.

I wanna squeeze my meaning
Into just a verse or two,
Though when I reach that threshold,
My poem is not quite through.

I wanna grab that reader
Whose patience may wear thin;
Convince him that the ending's 
Close to where he'll first begin.

I wanna write a short poem.
Alas, I cannot do it;
For here, five verses later,
I see I really blew it.

Still, when my poem is finished
I peruse it and I see
That it sounds just like it should
And that's the perfect length for me!