Cliche Detective

By Mary E. Adair

What one must do to see where a cliche

On uniqueness of poetry does prey,

Is read enough that others have written,

To see whenever one's work is smitten.

Find phrases to capture the reader's mind;

Leave out all cliches diligence can find,

From mottoes in Ben Franklin's "Poor Richard"

To grandma's cross-stitching every word,

For instance, "making hay while the sun shines,"

Despite craftiness while writing their lines,

To say "while the sun shines, I'm making hay,"

A cliche will always be a cliche.

December 11, 2000, Mary E. Adair