Classic Poem

Most writers embark upon a legacy of prose
the most lucrative venture in an unyielding sea
only a fool would choose

poetry
to chart the circumference of a life
no profit to be gained

and
very possibly
obscurity in the passing

unless
there be some deeper truth
to plumb

a reward of soul
unfathomable to the surface
of a word.


(Previously published in The Odeum, Nov 2001; The Poet's Porch, Jan 2002)