“Floor me with flawed beauty,” the
Poetry professor said.  “Give me a
Reason to read your poem, a deep
Craving to know the workings of
Your mind.
“Let me know the things you
Hate, the things you
Love, the things you couldn’t care
Less about.
Make me care.
“I see beauty in you, not
Perfect or pristine, but
Flawed,
Ugly, not-fit-for-the-
Human-eye-beauty.
“I’ve been teaching for 20 years; write me
Something I don’t already know.
“Floor me with
Your
Flawed beauty.”

The best writing is that which
Is raw, the kind of raw that oozes out of cupcakes,
And the kind of raw that is bright bubble gum pink on meat.
The kind of writing that the poet doesn’t
Think all the way through with their mind,
But has been thinking about for months
In their heart and just couldn’t find the
Words to say it.
Because poems that are raw aren’t just ugly;
They’re beautiful.

What was the first word ever spoken?
What started all of this language,
What started music, poetry?
What phrase was the first that the universe
Ever heard, the first words
That graced the air, that flew up
To be heard?
If you believe the Bible, as I do,
God said, “Let there be light.”
But what was the
First word that us humans spoke?
No matter what language it was spoken in,
I will believe until the end of time
That the first words spoken on Earth were
From Adam to Eve the first time he laid eyes on her:
“You’re beautiful.”
And that’s why we write poetry,
And critique ourselves,
And try so hard to find the perfect metaphors and similes.
Because we can never get even remotely close
To the eloquence of those first words.
“You’re beautiful.”