POETRY PLEA There was a time when every word and phrase Each sentence stanza paragraph and verse Was written, offered with clarity to our gaze Whether simple, complex, extravagant or terse Crafted in empyreal structure did they seem With the lucidity and freshness of a dream. * Perhaps this retrospect views life 'en rose' By one who mournes more recent language trend Please excuse an old curmudgeon if he oppose Loss of grammar and poetic form when words are penned In random emotional streams with no space nor punctuation Unformed, obscure and unfitted for oration I understand those in anguish of loss and pain May find solace in self expression to relieve the ache And I greet some words outside the box, that rules profane There's a place for consciousness stream and Finnegan's Wake But let's start from proven structure before violation Write with clarity, form and grammar's restoration * Hat tip to Wordsworth for the inspiration of this verse