P(r)o(ph)et

Mad-eyed from stating the obvious

and weary withal—what did you

expect from your sojourn

with this crudely formed clay?

Where obvious is the flavor du jour

every journey must result in frustration

a new vow to renounce

it all for your cave and a bagpipe-drowning

of the still, small voice

The days of sackcloth and ashes are gone

we will laughingly proclaim all our sins

in a most barbaric yawp. If you prayed

for subtle or sublime

you have come to the wrong town

 

Inspired by Quickly’s Prompts from April 9: Take a line from a newly-discovered (in my case, rediscovered) favorite poet and use it as a starting point. I used a line from Richard Wilbur’s “Advice to a Prophet.”