the trick of finding what you didn’t lose
(existing’s tricky:but to live’s a gift)
the teachable imposture of always
arriving at the place you never left.
-E.E. Cummings
..
She’s all in, ready to be
-gin again. She’ll need a show
of hands, and a place to stow
her chips. She’s finding her
self tricky, sticky with syntax
……………..and ex
-streams. Rip her apart
at the seams, and see if her stuff
-ing stays. Sway her slightly right;
you’ll find she never
………………………left.
.
prompted by A Prompt Each Day.
Whimsygizmo's Blog 
Love! It’s the words that play.
Or perhaps always. (in response to “then later”)
This poor lost soul – the gin, the betting, the lousy exes. I sense she feels she never existed.
The way you use enjambment adds so much to this clever poem. Like the word play, too.
That is pretty much the best title ever.
I love this: “the teachable imposture of always” (I pride myself on having good posture.)
“She’ll need a show” Of course she will! 🙂
“She’s finding her her sea-see hips.” Love, love, love.
“sticky with syntax
……………..and ex” … Now I want you to put “Ex-Stacy” in a poem. And Dexter. At a rave, dancing and doing X, please. 😛
I love with you did with “extremes.” I’ve never thought of that split before. “Ex-streams” must be evaporated water; we are all so very parched. “streams rip her apart” … Love that too. It doesn’t even take a river; she’s so desperate for water. I can’t tell you how gorgeous the visual is that you’ve just given me … I wish someone would create that piece of surreal artwork … one of those transparent female figures with streams flowing all through her body. What I’m seeing behind my eyes is pretty beautiful.
“Rip her apart
at the seams, and see if her stuff
-ing stays.” … And now she’s a Raggedy Ann doll. Of course her stuffing stays. It always stays. The poor girl just has to keep it all together by herself. She carries around needles and thread for just such occasions.
“Sway her slightly right” … I love homophones. Just let her at least write a little bit; then she can hang in there and keep doing the “right” thing.