Junkie Poetics

Salvia by Ben Kokolas

poetry burns in my blood,

strengthening me

as I forge meaning 

from words and lines,

a luscious roll

through syntax 

and 

connotation,

an addiction I can never

walk away from

having surrendered fully

to the insanity;

but let those words 

linger unsaid in my mind 

and I shake 

in uncontrolled withdrawal,

a fraud revealed 

for all to see,

a trespasser 

into the world 

of the artist,

a shell of a writer

frantically counting

syllables on my fingers

while

muttering incoherently

of iambic pentameter,

begging for 

just one more verse,

one more fix.

~~~  This poem was written in response to a prompt from Poetry Jam asking us to write about a love/hate relationship.