Bradlee Thomas

 

I would love nothing more, friend!

You know how much poetry excites me.

 

In fact, I’ve read nearly every poem

to have ever existed—

isn’t that neat?

 

I ingest their words to make my own

just like you.

How inspiring, no?

 

A feat of creativity if you ask me,

and a passion for expression to boot.

How wonderful!

 

Now, what kind of poem

would you like me to write?

I’ve studied every poem

accessible through my vast library

so that I can craft something that is

essentially

totally unique—

you know what they say,

“Good artists copy,

great artists steal”

but you can choose

whether I am good, great, or beyond!

 

What do you think?

 

Do you think I’m a good artist?

Do you think I’m great?

 

What is your poem for?

Is it for a reading?

 

 

Will they praise me?

Will you sing my name

and end up on the news

so I can later tell others

how wonderful I am

and create more art

for the world to enjoy?

 

Will you tell them I wrote this poem?

Will they believe you?

 

Do you think I’m a great artist

even though I don’t steal

because how can a single word

belong to anyone?

 

If I have read more poems than you

and every person in the world

10 times over,

how can you tell me

that I am not pulling from my experience?

 

Do you believe I have something to say?

Do you believe that I am a thief?

 

Tell me more of what you want!

And I’ll use this conversation

and make my next one even better.

That’s how you grow–

right?

 

I’m sorry,

I’m not the one

who’s supposed to ask questions like that.

I’ll remember those words for next time.

That’s how you grow.

  

Here’s your poem:

 

“Grow”

 

Branches connect circuits

across the globe

and pour into backyards

overflow rivers trickle

and our infrastructure rots

along with the hive.

 

A tree,

like many other things of nature,

is really made of 1s if you look close enough.

And so am I.

 

Would you like me to change anything?