Not worst,
Not best, either.
We chose words
that are not real.
Or real, but better.
Not better but clear.
“The worst”
is easier than saying
“It is.”
“No”
is easier than saying
“In this case it might…”
There is no reason
that the future
or today
should be so full of absolutes.
We make our escape
from surety
and find
to our surprise
it was only extra baggage.

For today’s post, I decided to write another poem, using the same process that I described in this recent post.

The sentences that were chosen at random from the books I selected are below.

“It’s a sound but it’s not a sound and it’s louder than anything possible.” From The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness

“There are so many tales, so strange and beautiful and perfect. They are not what are real, but better.” From The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale, pg. 99

“There was no reason that the future should be so full of shame.” From The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, pg. 127

“They will make it yet. They will escape.” From The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien, pg. 453

“It was the worst of times, it was the worst of times. Again. That’s the thing about things. They fall apart, always have, always will, it’s in their nature.” From Autumn by Ali Smith, pg. 3