Plain Speak

By Carl Palmer

PROMPT — Ask Me.

My stories never need a thesaurus,

an encyclopedia or dictionary,

don't require reason for footnotes

or index to explain my words.

I write the way I talk,

with a slow, southern drawl.

I don't use five dollar words,

simple ones say the same thing.

Words with a slew of syllables,

even if I could pronounce them,

get in the way, prevent me

from saying what I want to say.

Simple words get the point across,

don’t put on I’m a worldly somebody

trying to impress, to say something

not even sounding like me to me.

The forthcoming poesy substantiates the consequence

of expressing erudite vernaculars irrespective to necessity:

Verba Obscura

A lithoid form whose onward course

shapened by gravitational force

can scarcely enjoy the consolation

of bryophytic aggregation.

Translation: A rolling stone gathers no moss

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Carl “Papa” Palmer of Old Mill Road in Ridgeway, Virginia, lives in University Place, Washington. He is retired from the military and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), enjoying life as “Papa” to his grand descendants and being a Franciscan Hospice volunteer. PAPA’s MOTTO: Long Weekends Forever!