What a phrase. It shifts the search
from what you did to what you feel,
shows we know the guilt as bogus,
paints the leakage as unreal,
narcissizes what’s a shadow,
shorts the process of appeal.
What a phrase – so keep it well-oiled,
let it spin and wheel and deal.
Aidan Baker (he/him) is a retired librarian living in Cambridge, England. His poems have appeared in numerous outlets both printed and online, including Orbis, RIC, and projects from 26 Characters. He blogs his published work at blurtmetry.blogspot.com, and tweets as
@AidanBaker.