.
The Poet’s Good Pen
Take up your good pen.
Write only words true.
Now open your heart—
Your worth will shine through.
Among the spare lines
A poet can’t hide.
Their soul thus defined—
In their words, they reside.
No room for clutter;
Words chosen with care.
The truth will come out—
So, writers beware.
.
.
Michael Charles Maibach began writing poems at age nine. Since then he has continued writing poems, and sharing them with friends. His career has involved global business diplomacy. He is a native of Peoria, Illinois. Today Michael resides in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia. More of his poems are found at www.MaibachPoems.us or on Facebook.



You give good advice, Michael, and have exemplified it in your poem. The last line is just right – emphatic but not shrill.
Short, sweet,should be up on the wall next to my work space.
Thanks Michael: writers should beware – ‘language most shows a man’ as Ben Jonson observed, and poetry is especially revealing!
Yes, I’ve made sure to be mindful that my poetry provides a public record, and so I make it a policy never to write anything in a poem that I wouldn’t want to go viral online.