A Word Thief

Finding Inspiration vs. Plagiarizing

At high noon 

I slip into your shadow 

Where undetected I dog you

Across the days

Across the pages

I pick your pockets for words

Stealing similes and metaphors

Ideas and inspirations

Your best lines and rhymes become 

My jeweled lover’s lockets

I tongue your vowels 

Still sweet with the long remembered 

Taste of rye

Or borrow curses spat 

From bitter lips

Of one true love lost

I become a ventriloquist 

Speaking in borrowed voices

An addict of the pen

When my last dime bag

Of inspiration is gone

I will steal from another’s stash

Sometimes I feel

But a magpie mimic

Author's Note

I listen to a wide variety of music and really admire well crafted lyrics. Leonard Cohen is a favorite songwriter. I often find in music inspiration for my own writing, as well as in the poetry and stories of my favorite writers here. I am not above borrowing an idea or even very rarely a phrase or line. I sometimes muse about the fine line between borrowing inspiration versus outright plagiarism. This poem is an exaggeration of the emotions arising from crossing that line, or at least feeling as if one may have.

Reviews

[red93]

I found this very interesting Michael, and it is a valid area of creativity.
Not big on Leonard Cohen personally, more Dylan and Paul Simon for me. A fascinating Piece nevertheless ✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️

[Michael Sun Bear]

Thank you, much appreciated.

[Soren]

Inspiration I don't feel is plagiarism or everything would be for there is nothing new under the sun. A wonderful write that goes to the heart of what all writers go through. Nicely written.

[Michael Sun Bear]

Thank you Soren.

[Soren]

You are most welcome

[Davidgeo]

AI is making plagiarism a moot point.

[Michael Sun Bear]

Oh I could not agree more! And I think there are one or more newcomers here heavily relying on AI.

[Davidgeo]

One or more? ugh... don't get me started. The bot accounts are one thing... People like JayG using it to spam reviews is something more upsetting to me. We now have a human-AI hybrid bully role playing as a writing coach... ugh, this timeline is a hellscape.