Surfers talk about it in terms
of waves they’ve zigged and zagged
and ridden till the swell fades,
dissolves into ocean.

But poets shred, too, tearing
into language with high energy
and skill. For those who surf
water or snow or concrete,

they mean mastery of the board,
confident wave control, a powerful
skillful style, perhaps a bit of flash
and flamboyance, too.

We word nerds try not to look
as if we’re trying too hard, that
we’re not kicking up a lot of spray
or carving big turns,

even when we are. Effortless,
we hope readers say.
Shreddin’ those lines, baby,
makin’ a nest that something

with feathers might want to
settle into, might sing the tune
without the words, and,
as the poet so gracefully said,

never stop at all.

•••

(in honor of National Poetry Day in the UK)