Defect Against Their Rules

“Defect against their rules,

quick to reflect - make my own;

Place a staple in the stack of paper

- add, remove, revise as I go;

Call upon a clause - don’t pause -

Initiate, work it - row;

I do canoe through smooth

- Throw those distractions to crows;

More skilled, sought solutions:

Watch the birds, add up stones;

Preparation was prioritized:

I’m geared up for the snow;

Need to bundle for the season,

I think I’ll sow me a coat -

I’ll switch and turn the burners -

serve a cup-o-the-oats;

I know I’m getting warmer -

Hands heat by the stove

- No bitter winter’d make me reconsider roads I have chose;

So I’ll keep on belting notes, rapping poems, reading prose;

I propose a toast - mostly for adhering to soul;

Inside it is so warm: Once my outer was cold;

My temperature, it rose: The old thermometer broke;

The Grinch gave back the holiday,

hardly could say my heart hasn’t grown;

On the contrary, in fact - facial expressions tell and they show;

Present the gifts, fulfilled my wish - it wrote:

‘Can I have a home?’”

- Old Dying Joe