Purchase by Don Colburn (Poetry ’92)
Poetry alum Don Colburn’s 6th poetry collection, Purchase, was published in June by Finishing Line Press. Read an excerpt below:
ONE WORD OR LESS, WHY DO YOU WRITE?
Good question. ERROR! ANSWER EXCEEDS
ALLOWABLE WORD COUNT.
Jeez. Thought you were kidding
about the one word. Give me a minute
to think out loud, don’t start counting yet.
How about…Memory? Nope, too vague.
Or…Curiosity? Nah. Too easy and all-purpose.
Mortality? Too grandiose, too woo-woo.
Clarify? Getting warmer. Verbs do that.
But if I were allowed to go way over the limit
and revise, which for me is the best part,
I’d say something about how writing helps you
find answers to questions like this one,
gives you a momentary grip on the world
before it slips free and you start over.
There’s a word for this, a noun, maybe a verb —
I just can’t come up with it now.
Sometimes it helps to change the subject
so here’s one for you: Are you sure it’s less
and not fewer? Never mind — stick with less.
Nobody ever says fewer is more.
Less has more juice, more purchasing power
and — wait. Hold on. Purchase.
