O Poet

by Anna Ruiz

I should be happy
at the thought of you
writing “consumer” poems,
at least that’s what they tell me,
now that you’ve
gone
to the other side, Luke.

See, a Goddess
by any name is your Soul
afire,
and if you deny
any part of it,
the sinew bone and marrow of the woman
who loved you—
there is a price to pay.

Well, darling, you might not
see it yet, but you sold yourself
to the lowest bidder and
the least common denominator,
your poems
empty, emaciated and incomplete,

only the flesh of love from the fires of
Hell can save you now,

can help you remember
that Love is a gift
you cannot deny.