if we're now flexing our poetic knowledge
a page from dante's book should do us all well
('least, those who paid attention back in college)
ten syllables is easy, but one more's hell
and terza rima's really quite the trial—
far harder than a sonnet, if you can't tell
though shakespeare's works may easily beguile,
i turn to older masters of the craft too
for inspiration, both in form and style
despite my efforts, though, to entertain you,
i'm less a poet, more a storyteller;
i'm running out of rhymes with only these few
a shame i'm no sophisticated feller—
unlike terapagos, my poems ain't stellar
