He had hoped he’d be presented
in a poet’s structured rhyme,
dressed with careful punctuation,
standing proudly in his line.
Or perhaps inside a novel,
a magnificent depiction
to be quoted by the critics,
autographed at large receptions.
He was shocked to be inserted
as a casual afterthought
in a phrase between two brackets
and so easily forgot.
But his worst humiliation
was the final blow that fell . . .
when exposed upon the printed page
he saw he was misspelled!
Copyright © Laryalee Fraser • Used with permission • All rights reserved.