Twenty Lines...

What can you say in twenty lines of verse,
When it doesn't even have to rhyme?
No choice of it being profuse or terse,
But at least I can still take my time!

Should I tell a story about someone I love,
Or describe some moment in the day?
The trick of this, when push comes to shove,
Is squeezing it into a twenty-line display!

Shall I be witty, or dejected, or profound,
As I begin my poetry or prose?
You know, I might even become a bit renowned,
As long as I don't overdose on verbose!

How can I create (and I'm whining here),
When there are so few lines to use?
Speaking simply, and yet being quite sincere:
Why do I have to pick and choose?

Was I really aware of all that I had done;
Was I actually deciding my fate?
My ending has arrived before I have begun!
This is it! Twenty lines! Oh great!

Lora Frikken ~ 2001