Poetic License

Recently people have been asking about poetic license and why I use that when explaining some parts of my poetry.  I thought I would set everyone straight by explaining just what poetic license meant to me.


Lately folks been asking bout
This license that I got
That lets me wax poetic
And I do wax a lot
It’s given out to writers
Who write other than prose
Like limericks and Cherihews
And rhyming things like those
Who don’t care if a particle
Is dangling or not
Or if a subject follows verb
Or calls a pan a pot
This license allows us writers
A distortion of the facts
Or alteration of good grammar
Though some folks call us hacks
We write at our discretion
And hope you tolerate our view
We use it to fill in the gaps
Leave the meanings up to you
We add non-existing details
And exaggerate the truth
At times we write with tongue in cheek
And come across uncouth
This license lets us say things
We wouldn’t say out loud
Or maybe things we don’t believe
We are truly not highbrowed
It lets us be offensive
When offence makes you think
It lets us do most anything
Till we run out of ink
It’s the rhythm of the writing
Iambic pentameter
That separates the licensed
From the lowly amateur
But don’t go down to City Hall
This license is inbred
It comes when you just open up
The thoughts within your head
Mdailey 5/17/10