Last Friday, in my research class, we were told to write a poem inspired by the writing style of E. E. Cummings. I was uninspired and was unable to write one. Then today my teacher decided to make it an actual graded assignment. So, feeling inspired by my lack of poetic inspiration (hello, mister paradox), I wrote this.

inspiration

inspiration
flows not like
f(orever-lasting)evers
spreading through v(ital)
(ulnerable)eins
but instead like
r(ising)ivers that later recede
into our m(adness)inds
and then rise again when least
convenient.

—Rachel Reardon