I ASKED
I asked the orange why it was orange,
And it faded and turned moldy.
I asked the computer why it was smart
And it said error number 73.
I asked the dolphin why it was happy
And it turned and swam away.
I asked the cactus to make a fruit
And it did and the fruit tasted like gold.
I asked the clouds why they were white
And they darkened and blew away.
I asked myself why everything turned away
And the clouds blew back.
The dolphins were happy
The computer was fixed,
And I kept quiet
And everything was perfect.
—from 2015 Rattle Young Poets Anthology
__________
Why do you like to write poetry?
Nathaniel Schott: “I like to write poetry because it lets you express your mood. It is also fun to try to find a rhyme for a word.”