The reconstruction of reality,
As captured in good prose,
Is penned with credibility;
So easily it flows.
Natural to its bent,
Truthful but not chained,
Busy ‘yes’, but far from spent;
Unstressed, and not constrained.
With gently scripted phrases,
That carve a natural course
It’s generous with praises;
And faithful to its source.
.   Do what it takes, to make the words assemble,
.   But if it shakes, let it shake … not tremble.

© Tim Grace, 19 November 2010

To the reader: A believable recollection if not fully true should at least be credible in its fabrication. The unpolished retell needs grit; not too processed, not too artificial. Reality needs to be plausible so that actions can be resolved through a logical sequence of reactions; consequential responses befitting a tale.

To the poet: The fear of every poet should be false contrivance. Poems need to be designed and constructed. They need foundations and building blocks. They need to be braced and supported. What they don’t need is fabrication. They don’t need false imagery. They don’t need contrived comparison. They should need no force of will.

faithful reality