The Poet's Ten Commandments

Thou shall not plagiarize other people's work The first commandment for a poet It's a shame that some people do it While others simply don't know it A poem doesn't always have to rhyme The second commandment we must obey But some people choose not to listen Regardless of what others might say A poem can be about anything you want The third commandment sends some people reeling They think it can't be a poem at all Unless it's something to do with our feelings Thou shall not criticize others unjustly The fourth commandment we must adhere They don't need their creation destroyed It's constructive critisim they want to here A poem can be any length you choose The fifth commandment we all must follow For if they were all made the same It would surely be hollow The vocabulary is strictly up to the poet The sixth commandment is the poet's choice He alone can decide the words to use That will best give him his voice Inspiration can come from anywhere we like The seventh commandment we all hold true Everyone has their writer's block moments So whatever helps us get through The poet can write any form they want The eighth commandment is a must The poet knows the style they like best And their choices we're obliged to trust Poetry is all a matter of taste The ninth commandment is just like the rest The reader must choose what's dear to his heart And the poems that he likes the best Never alienate your readers The tenth commandment speaks for itself Cause if you act like you're better than them Your books will stay on the shelf