These Words - Poem

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A poem can confront the reader directly about whether the writing is worth their time. In “These Words,” Greg Luti gives permission to stop reading if the words fail to connect, urging readers to close the page, return the book, and walk away if it simply isn’t for them.

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Stop reading these words if they just don’t speak to you.

If you feel nothing when you come across a phrase.

If the words don’t jump off the page.

If there is nothing living in these words.

Stop reading them.

Close out the page if they just don’t cut it for you.

If there is nothing there that interests you.

Nothing there that matters to you.

Nothing you wish to read.

Close the page.

Return the book if it is not for you.

If the book was not what you expected.

Or what you wanted.

And you don’t even want to finish it.

Return the book.

Because clearly I am not the writer for you.

So go on and stop reading this.

Give me back my words if they just don’t do it for you.

Give me back my nouns and verbs.

Give me back all the other words I use.

Give me back the periods, too.

They are not meant for you, so let me have them back.

Because the words are not for you.

So go on and stop reading them.

Return my stories if they are just not for you.

Give me back my character development.

Give me back the plot twists.

Give me back the dramatic endings.

They are not meant for you, so let me have them back.

Because my stories are not for you.

So go on and stop reading them.

You don’t want me around, and I don’t want you around.

Let’s make this easy on both of us and just go our separate ways.

I’ll forget about you, and you will pretend like I don’t exist.

Because clearly I am not the writer for you.

So go on and stop reading this.

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