Old Poet to Young Poet
By David Stavanger
Published 1 January 2021
you are immature and I am highly evolved
you should read more Judith Wright and stop writing about yourself
"I" and "we" should not be used as poems are illuminations not spotlights
young poet smokes for photos / old poet smokes
young poet describes candle flame to get laid / old poet captures moth
young poets will never become old poets
old poets don't die they just get more grants
old poet tells young poet to let their words do the talking
old poet tells young poet that the page is where words dance
old poet tells young poet to forget about the moon
old poets never use the moon as metaphor / for them the moon has done enough
young poets throw lavish launches / old poets decline invitations
young poet wants to be old poet / old poet wants to be
young poet drinks beer and chases skirt because that's what poets do
young poet builds altar / old poet pays rent
young poet makes declarations of intent / old poet lights cigarette
young poet name checks Bukowski & Rimbaud / old poet reads them
old poets never wear make-up / their masks are harder to remove
old poets are the wolves' lair / young poets come to the cave as calves do
backstage the young poet bites nails
backstage the old poet sharpens its teeth
young poet flirts with virgins / old poet fucks violinist
young poet wants to sell books / old poet buys bread and red wine
young poet dreams / old poet is happy to sleep at night
old poets never dreamed they would become old poets
young poets tell anyone they are the revolution
old poets know the revolution doesn't need to talk / but then
old poets never listen / young poets listen too much
you maybe tomorrow young poet but we are yesterday
and yesterday will buy us more time
time is on the side of the young poet
old poet knows time has no sides / tells young poet
death is the last line
Note: First Published in Idiom 23, 2009