The Poet (performance/poem piece)

Another one of my braindroppings from way back. I performed this once in a coffeeshop and got an interesting response (they laughed in the right places).
Enjoy!


The poet begins with a blank piece of paper, a deadline and too much time on his hands.

The poet realizes that he has just begun to start the first lines of his new poem.

The poet stops here. He pauses. He is thinking. The next line does not come to him so easily.

The poet realizes that he should have avoided the distractions available in writing at home.

The poet now has an idea. He begins to add the necessary words, allusions and poetic devices.

The poet takes another pause. He notices the time.

The poet should really learn to pay attention to those deadlines.

The poet now believes that procrastination is a viable option for a poetic subject.

The poet entertains the idea on the page and in his mind. He looks at the time.

The poet realizes that he cannot look at time itself; he can only look at his watch or a clock.

The poet congratulates himself on this observation.

The poet worries about becoming too metaphysical.

The poet wonders if he should continue.

The poet asks himself if it is actually necessary.

The poet realizes that he never gets paid for his work.

The poet develops more doubts about his talent.

The poet wonders if he is really a poet.

The poet takes a look at himself in the mirror.

The poet wonders if he has the look of a poet.

The poet remembers the pictures he has seen of other poets.

The poet begins on a new sheet of paper.

The poet wonders if this is necessary.

The poet looks back at the mirror.

The poet realizes that he is a handsome devil.

The poet wonders if this is a detriment to writing poetry.

The poet’s ego now has a boost.

The poet can add his vanity to the poem.

The poet has added enough to the poem to let it stand on its own.

The poet starts to add more.

The poet adds too much.

The poet wonders whether he has gone too far.

The poet understands that this no longer matters.

The poet feels sorry for his audience.

The poet promises that this is the last page.

The poet has broken his promises before.

The poet may be running out of ideas.

The poet pays closer attention to the distractions that come from writing at home.

The poet sees that the television has been turned on.

The poet sees supermodels in the latest fashions on the runways of Paris, New York and Rome.

The poet can no longer concentrate on finishing his poem.

The poet wonders if he should be sharing this with his audience.

The poet thinks that he should have turned the TV off.

The poet stares at the TV.

The poet starts a third page.

The poet apologizes once again.

The poet is still staring at the TV.

The poet spills hot tea on his lap.

The poet is no longer interested in the models.

The poet stops the poem here.

The poet thanks the audience for listening.