Verse Toil

First was not tale,
Then was not play,
Then was not poem,
Now is not song—

Not song, poem, play,
Tale—next verse will
Not be verse, just
Work. No point. Work.

Right, fine. Let’s go
To work. Let’s grub.
Let’s scrub the tools
And dig the dirt

For a few turns
That work. Let’s squirm
Through roots and worms.
Just verse. The worst.