Keith E. Sparks Jr. has been writing from a young age. He has had his work published in various literary journals and magazines and has been nominated for the Pushcart Poetry Prize. He has appeared in venues such as Skyline Magazine, Timeless Reflections, Open Skies, to name a few, and has managed to remain in the Top 10 most read for 20 consecutive months through Impspired Magazine. Keith has published multiple collections of poetry, with his most recent releases being “Shadowfall,” and “The Subtle Ways of Memory and Dream”. He is the creator and former editor of, the now archived, Open Skies Quarterly, a digital and print publication that was dedicated to poetic voices. Keith resides in West Virginia with his wife and three children whom are the epicenter of his existence.

Oops

Should we cater to literary trends,

follow expected ways, iambs, trochees,

be rag-covered poetic little clones,

and use the loom just as others would say?



Formal or free, traditionally new

I’ll break the mold, but keep the clay, and say



the wheel is mine, and so today, iambs

will be the way. Oh yes, iambs will be

the way. But no, perhaps I'll keep the mold,

just bend it with a subtle fold and show

a trusted way. Tradition's view can still

be new when used a modern way. Or have

I broken it unwittingly this day?



Iambs—or have I lost it all by now?

If so, then there is nothing more to say.

Pentameter—should I use it somehow?



Social circumcision clouds the vision

and I do not know the proper way. Damn!



I broke it.

**First appeared in “Facets” by Keith E. Sparks Jr. 2019**

Pride

A voice surprised me, cloaked within the chimes

whose pitch defies the calm resolve

and hides a solemn wisdom in blue eyes...



That wonders through the whispers

of a light that's laced with mischief

masking tears you'll never see...

but somehow know are there.



Your voice surprised me.

Quiet, calm and reassuring,

with solemn wisdom in young eyes

that makes me want to cry...

What the Shit

A voluntary vapid volley vaguely streamed

will rarely tell the reader what you mean.

To tie the tortured tongue through twisted knots

and self-proclaim your skill thesaurus taught,

the flagrant fickle form -- foolishly fraught--

will drive a mind insane and make us scream!



So what the flippin' fuckity fuck

do you really fucking mean?