RHYME’S SCHEME

    The reason I’m a formalist is that
    These rhythms and these rhymes help generate
    An energy that keeps from falling flat
    A line where beat and thought both correlate;
    But more than that, this method can evoke
    From misty depths in my subconscious mind,
    With the ah-ha and the ha-ha of a joke,
    Some revelation toward which I’m inclined,
    Yet without this elaborate scaffolding,
    I’d never fashion such an edifice;
    Or call this scheme a maze designed to bring
    Both me and you to such a point as this
        Where in due time we finally realize
        The aim of such devices is surprise.

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