The Court Fool ~ Saturday, 14 April 2018

So help me God, poetry requires wit. As poets, we never need to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. This forum is not a court of law but a court of literary tradition. It is enough to show the tip of the iceberg to know the substance hidden beneath provides ballast. No matter how horrid or terrifying the truth, it is unnecessary to use in poetry. The reader only needs cues or hints to interpret the real from fantasy for herself. Therefore, a sharp mind and a quick turn of phrase are best to write fun yet intelligent verse. Humor is not just for court jesters or stand-up comedians. But poets who cannot fence and better off as blacksmiths than knights who battle for an age of chivalry long gone, possibly dead.