Wrangling an essay and still ending up

With nothing more than a poem to show for my efforts

Every time, I fail, no matter how firm

I think the thesis is, or tempting the antithesis may be

They fail to hold across a page’s margins,

They break and the lines go down into the vale of verse

Reason loses its hold and appetites change,

Argument is disgusting and rhyme becomes exquisite

The easy work of avoiding citations ends,

And now things are hard again, the title actually matters

Ben Nardolilli is a theoretical MFA candidate at Long Island University. His work has appeared in Perigee Magazine, Door Is a Jar, The Delmarva Review, Red Fez, The Oklahoma Review, Quail Bell Magazine, and Slab. Follow his publishing journey at mirrorsponge.blogspot.com.