I'm here to speak a poem or few

To crystallize a thought or two

But just in case, before I do

Let's fix a small dilemma

There seems to be a gap in time

Left hanging unintended

When e’er we reach a final rhyme

Of poetry suspended

A pregnant pause precipitates

An awkward timeless moment

As every listener hesitates

Within our joined enjoyment

It lingers like a homeless beat

Unplugged from what's insightful

And sometimes serves to help defeat

What might have been delightful

An audience is left to wonder

Waiting on each closure

Within this timeless bumbling blunder

Bent on mute exposure

So, from now on, when e’er I'm through

I'll cross my fingers thusly

In order that each poem you chew

Can say, 'I'm over. Trust me'

John Christopher

1992