> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.hawkword.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Word
- URL: https://www.hawkword.com/poetry/word/
- Published: 2024-05-07T12:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2024-05-07T12:00:00.000Z
- Description: What's left, then, for a poet, when all meaning is squeezed, wrung out from adjective and verb, the simplest of sentences needs gleaning, and metaphors, if anything, disturb? When words had ceased to serve their prope...
- Author: A. Gee
- Tags: Poetry, Sonnet, Allpoetry Import, #Import 2026-04-25 19:56

What's left, then, for a poet, when all meaning  
is squeezed, wrung out from adjective and verb,  
the simplest of sentences needs gleaning,  
and metaphors, if anything, disturb?  
When words had ceased to serve their proper sentence  
and punctuation rarely gives a pause,  
vain adverbs fail to sanctify repentance  
and participles, partial to applause,  
forsake -- indeed abandon rhyme and reason,  
relying on the maudlin of free verse.  
Should meaning manage to come back in season,  
and bring with it -- both blessing and a curse,  
ability to recognize a poem,  
we'd best be ready to pretend we know 'em.