NaPoWriMo day 26

NaPoWriMo day 26. A difficult one this – an ‘erasure’ poem i.e. taking words and letters away from an existing poem and keeping the remainder as originally paginated. I went for Rudyard Kipling’s ‘If----‘

I

I              can keep  our head 

                the n       blam

I  can trust you     hen         men doubt

But         all            their        doubt

I              can         it              red

Or            lie  about, do l       l 

                don’t give way 

                ok too good,  or    wise:

I              can dream – a      master;

I              can think -             our aim;

I              Triumph

And  eat                 impostors

I              can         hear        you’ve spoken

Twisted                                                  fool 

                watch     your life                 broken, 

                too                          worn-out 

I              make one              of            you 

                                one  urn of pitch 

                lo , an  art              our be     ings 

                ever        at a                         loss;

I              for you  hear         a              new

To           turn                         the          one, 

                so hold   her          not          in 

                the  ill                     the          old

I              talk with crow s and  you   r ue, 

                th ings – or lose                    touch,

If            the          f iends    hurt you, 

                men count  you,   one too much;

I                              the  forgiving        nut 

 it s          worth      a              run,

You        art           everything

And        i               a Man    !