Emily's Rule

Some versifiers on this site
think using obscenity
puts a zing
in lame lines

They think truth is as crude
and coarse as their writing

They abandon all standards
and ridicule rules
convinced of their righteous
intent

They ignore Emily's Rule-
'Tell all the Truth but tell it slant-'

Emily Dickinson's metaphor
for her lack of directness
is the stuff of poetry

poem by Michael Pruchnicki
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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