the great unknown

My good friend, The Unknown Poet (that’s not his real name of course) has reluctantly agreed to allow me to publish a few of his poems on my blog. I am very pleased with this turn of events because I believe Unknown has been hiding his light under a bushel for far too long. I ask only that any posted comments take my friend’s retiring and sensitive nature into account. Feel free to be generous with your criticism, but no less generous with your praise. Otherwise, I fear that not even I will hear from the great Unknown again.


Requiem for a Rough Draft


This was once a yellow pad,
a yellow pad with blue ink on it,
blue ink and blue lines,
faint blue lines running horizontally across the page.

The i’s are dotted now
and the t’s are crossed.
The arrows indicating where this very line should go are gone forever.
Whole words have disappeared.


-The Unknown Poet


Anon's Resume


I am The Unknown Poet
I'm sure you've heard of me
I've written in all languages
since 4000 B.C.

I've written of the Roman
and I've written of the Turk
The fire at Alexandria
destroyed all my best work

I've written on papyrus
and on the subway walls
I'm all over the internet
and inside toilet stalls

I've scribbled reams of sonnets
and my share of haiku
a wagonload of limericks
and a country song or two

I even wrote an epic once
C'mon you know the one
I don't think I'll try that again
It only sounds like fun

I'm not assuming credit
where credit isn't due
If you want disputed authourship
I'm not the girl for you

Did Moses write the Pentateuch
I really couldn't say
But Shakespeare was from Stratford
and wrote his own damn plays

I am The Unknown Poet
for I've shied away from fame
I'm very pleased to meet you
but you'll never guess my name

-The Unknown Poet