I have a lot of very tiny poems that are sayings,
like little sayings and short little poems
by a mythical figure called the Sage of Apple Valley.
And for instance, one of the things that the Sage says is,
"If poetry is a refuge for snobs, any poet turning out
human is in the nature of a miracle."
Said the Sage, "You are the product of 1,000 lifetimes
and all you can accomplish in this life is very little,
but to do that you have to work as hard as you can."
The Sage of Apple Valley said, "You talk about whores,
they are being paid for it, you are giving it away."
Said the Sage, "You cannot die holding on anywhere."
The sage of Apple Valley said, "I've
got your number, if you could be raped over your protests,
you would know that you were really desired."
That's really enough of those.
Oh, here's what I like, said the Sage, "Being all
here is like subjecting yourself to an intense tickling
that you can't stand."
This Sage of Apple Valley said, "better 1,000 times over
to learn how not to hurt those you
love than to spend a lifetime alleviating
the sufferings of mankind."