Jaymee Thomas Poet Free verse

The Charm Offensive Extrapolation

I wasn't as surprised
as I should’ve been—
grayed avatar,
dead links,
cached titles still looking
to lead somewhere.

And here I am,
already down
a cell phone—
with FedEx in no hurry,
nothing left
to refresh-obsess over.

What’ll I do
with all this time?

Not that this is about me—
or is it? 
By the power of Strunk & White,
have mercy, 
I hope 
I can take at least
partial credit.
I’ll claim it;
otherwise, 
it's just me 
stuck, sucking up
oxygen
wondering if 
I was ever worth the breath.

Maybe I'm kidding myself. 

Bliss doesn’t 
make good story,
won't keep people
around, 
interested 
in words, no matter 
how much need 
brays  
from their every sentence.

We’re all donkeys and liars,
living up to our pages
versions of ourselves,
cross-bred
sociability, mouths full 
of bad faith, hiding
halitosis and worse teeth.

But here's the thing:
I’ve spent far too long learning 
to spell
my own name,
cutting grammar's corners
closer to the curb 
than recommended,
earning the space to say—
whatever. the. hell. I. want.

I'm surprised more
people aren't tired 
of playing, 
pretending not to have a need
to edit, to rehab
the edges
of their worst selves—
bigger shame though
that they don't sell
breath mints 
to cover the stink of disagreeable
personalities.
Today's a day
I could use one, 
for a few of mine.

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Arlo Parker June 28, 2025 at 11:03 AM This good. Poignant, pointed, precise, passionate, powerful. Me liketh.

David Crandall June 28, 2025 at 10:35 AM No, I just googled him Thomas Campbell - he sounds interesting. I think it was actually a mathematician (Terrence Tao) talking about physics.

David Crandall June 28, 2025 at 9:43 AM An interesting piece. I recently watched a Youtube of a physicist who said that there are three versions of reality: reality, what our models tell us, and our observations. I'm thinking it could be similar with people: what they are, what their words say, and what we observe. When reading an author or poet, all we have is their words. Jaymee Thomas June 28, 2025 at 9:55 AM Hey there. Was that physicist by any chance Thomas Campbell? I agree with you, btw. It's fascinating to reconcile all those presentations of a person (or oneself). Thanks for taking a minute to read my work, David. I appreciate it.