Do Tell

Implored, and more than once, to show, not tell,
I've nonetheless avoided ASCII art;
though in response -- no tougher clientele --
agreed to split my paragraphs apart.

I struggle, still, with this unbidden rule.
Though pictures may be worth their weight in gold,
the alphabet remains a useful tool,
and stories, without telling, can't be told.

Is there some tongue in cheek to my response?
Hope I've not bitten more than I can chew,
and this -- though no Petrarchan Renaissance --
is where the couplet bids to say adieu.

A poem need not be a picture show,
and adjectives alone don't make it so.