Inaugural Poem
FUCK YOU is a spondee.
FUCK you with a first syllable stressed
is a trochee whose rejoinder is either
an iamb (Fuck YOU)
or an anapest (No, fuck YOU).
Poetic meter and poetic devices
are not only not boring, they’re
as basic as breath, relevant
as politics and sex. The dick
in the White House is not my
president is a good example
of synecdoche–that part of him
representing the whole of him,
who does not represent me,
who does not represent anyone
I know, who does not represent
anything I believe in–which is
not only a fact, a true fact, but also
a factual example of anaphora.
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PAUL HOSTOVSKY makes his living in Boston as a sign language interpreter and braille instructor. His poems and essays appear widely online and in print. He has won a Pushcart Prize, two Best of the Net Awards, and has been featured on Poetry Daily, Verse Daily, The Writer's Almanac, and the Best American Poetry blog. Website: paulhostovsky.com