For Naught

 

For Naught

•

the virgin page taunts me

untouched

the bright white
throbs like a migraine

no burden of remorse
no weight of mystery
does it bear

no sting of anger
no wink of mirth
does it proffer

nothing sensual or sensitive to share

no tale to spin
no plot to thicken
no coin of phrase to turn

just vast blank space
tormenting nothingness
cruel emptiness
to drain my brain

dissonance spills through my open window
the scatter of autumn showers
stir of october wind
rustle of moist leaves

in the distance
muffled keens
bursts of barking
far off yelps

the edgy piercing din
of dripping prowling night
intrudes in damp insistence
to fill my head
fevered with frustration
to leave not one small space for wit

the search for insight all for naught

no spark to light this dark
no muse in sight

nothing clever or profound
in the air this night

chilled
slack

uninspired

• • •

rob kistner © 2011

• linked at Magpie Tales

26 thoughts on “For Naught”

  1. A wonderful poem about the
    process, the cursed block; not
    my block, but a familiar one to
    the word dwellers among us.
    This was tricky, for you have
    written a great poem about
    not writing a poem; impressive.

  2. Wow, Rob, if this is “uninspired”, do invite me back when the Muse strikes. This is fantastic – I especially love the verse beginning with “dissonance”…….so well done!

  3. im glad my page cannot talk to back to me for the most part! i have a feeling it would say “that writing is crap! and look, you’ve gone and ended another sentence with a dangling preposition!”

  4. Dear Rob: Artful cadence, wordsmithy! Your perfect stream of consciousness does flow but not for thee, “to wit” when nothing can stir the muses. Do adore how you bring in the mis en scene making the words actually placed in a real time setting; the writer’s desk by block.
    I do love this line the best;

    the bright white
    throbs like a migraine

    Oh to face that cursed “bright white”!

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