THE POETRY SECTION 

by Randy Streu

The books of poetry

at the local thrift store

are nestled deep in

the Large-Print section

with books on grandparenting

and Growing Old Gracefully

and learning to paint

with arthritic fingers—

as if poetry is a hobby

for retirees, something to do

between sips of coffee

at the breakfast diner

or simply a form of

palliative therapy

to be written and read

only in your final years—

and not a vital, breathing thing,

The tongue of humanity

declaring itself

alive