Thirty Days Of Julia: Day Twenty-Three

I bemoaned the fate of words, to languish
in unopened books. She suggested: compose
a verse about something real. Trust your heart
to know the simple truth your ordered mind
cannot conceive. Do not dwell on anguish
or complexity. The blood on the rose,
the thorns in paradise. Make a new start.
Try to find the kindness in humankind.
I scoffed in derision at dumbing down,
as I saw it. The use of intellect
was surely purer than the fevered cant
of self expression. I dismissed her frown
as a failure to understand. Respect
her viewpoint? I was not even gallant.