Come Steal My Metaphor

For those who steal with impunity.

“Steal My Metaphor”

Oh, Sweet Saint of Coffee-Table

Love and Pain -

I want you to steal my metaphor.

Slap it on your cracking, 

peeling walls

so people think

there’s hope in uselessness.

Come closer, darling.

I have a deliciously new,

novel metaphor.

Straight from the spinning mills

of my suffering.

Come, steal my metaphor.

Your hollow bones are,

screaming for marrow.

I want you to steal it-

post it, sell it, grab the proceeds.

Take the credit.

Aren’t we all 'one thread' in the universe?

You, the giant fake,

me, your wispy ghostwriter.

This poem?

It’s a masterclass,

“How to Steal a Metaphor 

and Influence People.”

Step One - Believe you deserve it.

Confidence is key here,

my dearest of dears.

Entitlement is mandatory.

It’s your birthright.

So steal with privilege.

Step Two - Prowl on velvet paws

until you find a vulnerable poet.

They’re easy to spot -

slightly soiled, thrift-store thin,

breaking at the edges.

Approach gently,

Whisper, “We are so connected.”

Then let your nimble fingers

slip into their pockets -

pick and run.

In the captions, write:

“Scribbled while asleep at 3 am.”

Step Three - Stand in front 

of your mirror,

saying it slow - “IT. IS. MINE.”

On repeat, louder.

Until you believe it.

This step is the swiftest 

and the easiest. 

Congratulations!

See how easy it was? 

I told you - 

Art is a free for all buffet.

Steaming trays of stolen metaphors 

Just waiting for you to 

sprinkle your sauce on them. 

Load your plate, darling.

And when you’re full,

Rest and ruminate fatly upon your couch,

cradling your belly,

engorged with another’s blood-

Till it’s dark and you’re 

buzzing with thirst again.

~~~~~

Author's Note

A friend had her metaphor brazenly stolen. She closed her account.

Reviews

[Dennis Wolf]

Well, in another way of looking at it, she should be flattered to high heaven... Lemme explain right quick.

We all feel good when our efforts are validated and recognized... Well, what greater validation can one ask than someone so dazzled, taken by their works that he or she would simply copy and paste the product of such skill?

We each steal the crafts of our choice, and I'll say that as blatantly as possible, because that's how it is. We steal it, because "teachers" are eager to teach you everything that had not worked for them either. Just look at all the "writing advice" by some of the logic they share, you'd never get to writing a narrative, you'd be bogged down in trying to figure out how best to describe things and also move the narrative along... And how to say something and be 100% certain that everyone will have the same interpretation of it(which you can't)

I've no words of comfort beyond these, for what use are they, knowing that whatever I say will not take away the pain 🤔🙄

Beautifully written

[DIVYA]

Thanks Dennis. The person in question was really creative and did not deserve to be ripped off like that. Some people here are very brazen. Protect your work too.

[Dennis Wolf]

I have no need of protection for now at least. Hardly anyone bothers with my tedious work, since none of it is poetry. Also, as prose goes, it takes a bit more imagination than watching a tiktok video. Since I use adjectives and adverbs and do not care about the pointless arguments insisting on spoon feeding people... It's fantasy I write, if you lack imagination, this genre is not for you anyway... Well, nuff said about that. If they did steal any part of it, huh, I'd be flattered beyond words to describe such. 😂Hahaha but it won't happen.


I am sorry, for what happened to your friend and quite possibly, you as well. Unfortunately, not every person has a life philosophy of conscience. They either have none, are materialistic, or choose religion based magical thinking 🤔but all that is tedious talk, best reserved for essays and such. Maybe if we feel like it, we can write one together and watch how many illicit copies are made 🤔🙄😂😂😂

[DIVYA]

The ripping off is mostly termed "inspirational' :)
I don't believe in that kind of inspiration.

As for that friend, thanks for the kind words. Yes, she is brilliant and has shut shop and left. It didn't feel good to see someone else capitalize on their creation while they got sidelined. It happened in April when I was travelling and I came to learn of it only yesterday.

[Dennis Wolf]

No, I don't mean ripping off, I mean adopting technique. That's just how anyone had ever learnt to do anything beyond what they themselves were capable of before. In time it becomes their own through lots of practice... It'll be different in manifestation, but fundamentally the same, aimed at the same end. This would be active learning, I suppose. 🤔

As per the copying of text produced by others or even copying their formula to the letter... Well, that's just stupid and wrong.

[Tania Mo]

Strong words- There seems more ppl salivating in here than on Bangkok street food scene lol. Careful DIVYA> :)

[DIVYA]

Thanks for the review Tanya. :) I really appreciate it.

[Sapphus]

All under the sun is a repeat. Nothing new after the Roman age. But saying that, this is a good expression of angst.

[DIVYA]

Thank you Sapphus. I'm glad you appreciate it.