So Many Darlings

Jack Segal (who wrote the lyrics for the song “Scarlet Ribbons”), whose songwriting workshop I attended way back in the 80's, used to say, “sometimes we have to murder our darlings”. What he meant by this was, sometimes, as writers, we have to cut out the parts that we're personally in the most love with for the sake of the whole work. That's the concept on which this poem is based. So Many Darlings I have murdered so many “darlings” that I should be in prison for 10 thousand lives As a novelist I have killed men, women, and children. Given my blood thirsty nature it's amazing that any survived.