“We” and “They”

I’ve found that in my poetry

I switch pronouns unintentionally

And some have pointed out this inconsistency

For reasons I seem to understand…

I believe I replace “they” with “we”

As I melt in their identity…

Artists favor one shape over others

Allowing us to see

What house and tree or bird and face

Masks some deep affinity…

I understand what is grammatically correct

But I slip through all the rules sometimes;

Badging a poetic license

As I charcoal black the intensity

When “we” seems more correct than “they”.

 

Ken Siegelman
Brooklyn Poet Laureate