I have been considering the one-word poem YOU. It is up to the reader or listener to meditate/associate/respond according to the receptive nature of that individual person at the time of reading or hearing. That is, if that person has time to contemplate such a poem in the busy 24 by 7 world of today.
Here are some positives in relation to such a poem to stimulate thought –
Subject and Object: The beloved is both the reason for the poem and its entire content. They are not just being addressed — they are the poem.
Economy of Expression: It says, “Nothing else matters. Only you.”
Devotion: It’s a surrender — the lover reduces the infinite complexity of love to a single, defining presence: you. If it is a lover that is being addressed by this word.
Mirror: It can also be a reflection — the beloved might see themselves in the poem, but also see the lover’s entire being poured into that word.
Timelessness: Unlike longer poems, it doesn’t age or tire; it remains whole and immediate
I have expanded the one-word poem into the following to give more poetic expression. But again, the subject and object of the poem depends on the reader/listener for interpretation.
| YOU |
I wrote a hundred lines.
Burned them.
Too many metaphors.
Too many ways to almost say it.
Then I wrote your name.
Once.
Paused.
The page stared back —
full.
Complete.
Crowded, even.
Everything empty
nothing
except
… and you read it
as if I’d hidden more,
but there is no more to say
What can I say … enjoy being you … whoever and wherever you are. And thanks for reading this Post. You are important; essential in keeping poetry alive.
.
my word in your ear 