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Will Melton

A Desperate Affair via the Tedious Grading of English Papers

by Will Melton on


      
        You, with it in your hand. Looking over my work. Ready to score.

Me, saying dirty things. Hoping it fits the criteria.

        You, in a cozy chair. Or would you rather do this on your desk?

Me, presently tense. Conveying the action, as it happens.

You study my form as I liberate myself of its bindings.
Playfully now, with zero articles, I change pace.

I taunt and I tease and I’m aware of the rules but I ignore them cause I know it drives you crazy and I condemn you with an incoherently rambling run-on sentence until when you just can’t take any more I initiate the absolving moment of
Punctuation. I insert it. poorly at; first, ?
You correct me.

With random intervals italicized (doesn’t matter. It’s my style.that’s important.and it seems to fit.)— I continue the narrative thrust.
Passive voice is boring. I-I-I mean it bores me. I like it active. I want it verbalized loudly with primer language. I do it. I show you. You understand.
I know a varied assortment of prepositions helps keep things exciting for you. I capitalize ON IT: beside; beneath; between; around; with and without; toward; against; over and under; and more than a fair share of in and out of
course

We, together. . . Because without either the act is meaningless. We each know our role and submit to it. We know, when done poorly or without consideration, it‘s a waste of energy. But when it’s right, it’s art. The propelling drive of mankind.

We, together. . . Faster now andd mor recklas. Aware that the end is approaching and anxious to see what will happen. Pulling toward cohesion. Nearing completion.
Thoughts begintoblur untilatlast inonegloriousfinalburstofwittywordplay

We
(Comma)
Together

(Ellipses)

While the rest ponder the incomplete thought.


Think you can write a better poem than this one? Post it and send the link to CHPoetryCorner@gmail.com.  Each week we’ll pick one poem to be featured in this spot. Put quill to scroll and get writing! Check out past poems here.

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Will Melton

Will Melton

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I Fought the Law Run-ins with the cops See All »
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Search and Siezure

When I was 16, I was walking home one night from my girlfriend's (at the time) like any other night. Now, as a teen, I had a shaved head, but that's as far as it goes for me looking like "a bad ass". I was super straight edge. I got to the corner across the street from my apartment, and I was waiting patiently at the light to cross, when all of a sudden I hear the... Read More » wailers and see flashing lights coming in my direction. Two cops get out of their car, tell me to come over and proceed to start hassling me. Given where I lived (tantamount to gang territory) and the fact that I was a teen out past 11PM, this was annoying, but not a huge surprise. The first question they asked me was "where am I going?" I said home. They asked where home is, and I could point to my window from where I was standing. That wasn't good enough. They decided they were going to demand that I "empty my pockets on the hood of the car". I refused, at which point they accused me of having something to hide. But what they didn't know was that I was taking classes in Canadian law at my high school, and had already covered the section on statutes on search and seizure and probable cause. So I told them flat out: "Give me your badge number, and I'll empty my pockets. And, when you find nothing there, I'll be down at your station tomorrow with a lawyer and I won't leave until I have your job because I gave you no probable cause to stop me, let alone undergo a search and seizure of my personal belongings. And if you don't like it, fuck off". Needless to say, they got back in their car and told me to go home. And I did, smiling.