Lawrence Hall
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https://hellopoetry.com/lawrence-hall/
poeticdrivel.blogspot.com

                              Comrade­s Who Checklist Poets

                      A Poet’s Autobiography is his Poetry

                                       -Yevtushenko

A poem is itself

So I’m not going to play any victim cards
I’m not even seated in their game
Ticking self-pity boxes is their game
Not mine

A poem is itself

I am not anyone’s propagandist
All are free to read a poem or not
Like it or not for its artistry and craft
(Or lack thereof)
But I won’t be a confessional professional

A poem is itself

A worthy editor is a pearl beyond price
But a literary commissar is nekul'turnyy

For a poem is itself