THE CALL OF THE WILD Poetry is not an answer Poetry is a calling a vision that does not vanish just because nothing concrete comes along, or because the kingdom of heaven is under some tyrant's foot Poetry is not a right Poetry is a demand to be left alone or joined together or whatever we need to live Poetry is not an ideology poets choose life over ideas, love people more than theories, and really would prefer a kiss to a lecture Poetry Poetry is not a government Poetry is a revolution guerrillas -- si! politicians -- no! Poetry is always hungry for all that is forbidden poetry never stops drinking not even after the last drop, if we run out of wine poets will figure a way to ferment rain Poetry wears taboos like perfume with a red shirt and a feather in the cap, sandals or bare feet, and sleeps nude with the door unlocked Poetry cuts up propriety into campfire logs and sits around proclaiming life's glories far into each starry night, poetry burns prudence like it was a stick of aromatic incense or the even more fragrant odor of the heretic aflame at the stake, eternally unwilling to swear allegiance to foul breathed censors with torches in their hands Poetry smells like a fart in every single court of law and smells like fresh mountain air in every dank jail cell Poetry is unreliable Poetry will always jump the fence just when you think poets are behind you they show up somewhere off the beaten path absent without leave, beckoning for you to take your boots off and listen to the birds Poetry is myopic and refuses to wear glasses never sees no trespassing signs and always prefers to be up touching close to everything skin to skin, skin to sky, skin to light poetry loves skin, loathes coverings Poetry is not mature it will act like a child to the point of social embarrassment if you try to pin poetry down it will throw a fit yet it can sit quietly for hours playing with a flower Poetry has no manners it will undress in public everyday of the week go shamelessly naked at high noon on holidays and play with itself, smiling Poetry is not just sexual not just monosexual nor just homosexual nor just heterosexual nor bisexual or asexual poetry is erotic and is willing any way you want to try it Poetry Poetry has no god there is no church of poetry no ministers and certainly no priests no catechisms nor sacred texts and no devils either or sin, for that matter, original synthetic, cloned or otherwise, no sin Poetry In the beginning was the word and from then until the end let there always be Poetry! —kalamu ya salaam