the worst kind of war

the people in their sickness
have become “too clever”
for poets
— d.a.levy

there is this thing
that exists,
a disdainful rift
of pure hatred
between academic poets
and street poets

between people
and all poets

and it is war
and it is endless
and it is tiring

poets writing
poems about
poetry

poets policing poets
on what poetry
is and isn’t

don’t they get it?
don’t they get that is the problem?
don’t they get they are the problem?

poets don’t need policing,
we’ve got enough problems 

poets don’t need policing,
we get enough shit
for being poets 

poetry doesn’t need confines—
write what you want
when you want
how you want
because you want

poetry doesn’t need confines—
fuck form, fuck rules, fuck guidelines 

there’s too much
of what poetry
shouldn’t be
and not enough
poetry 

there’s too much
of what poetry
should be
and not enough
poetry 

at its simplest,
poetry is
what you
make
it

at its minimum, poetry should be accessible
at its minimum, poetry should be dangerous 

we can’t start over, but we can keep
moving forward—if only they’d allow us

poets vs poets is the worst kind of war

poets get enough shit for being poets

and besides, don’t they get it?

it’s poetry we’re talking about, 

poetry, goddamnit. 

Tohm Bakelas Tohm Bakelas is a social worker in a psychiatric hospital. He was born in New Jersey, resides there, and will die there. His poems have appeared in numerous journals, zines, and online publications. He has published 13 chapbooks. He runs Between Shadows Press.