Déjà Interpretation

by Meredith Patterson

I cannot be postmodern. I'm too old.
Too old — at twenty — to accept the thought
Of words — and words alone, however bold —
Replacing things that are with what is not.

Too old, at twenty, to accept the thought,
Too timeworn and too fanciful to find
Replacing things that are with what is not
Could be so basic as a change of mind.

Too timeworn and too fanciful to find
That habit, question, problem at the core
Could be so basic as a change of mind;
There's that, but then there's still godawful more —

That habit, question, problem at the core
Has action from decision as step one;
There's that, but then there's still godawful more,
For words are weak when they are words alone.

Has action from decision as step one
Been overkill at all? For me? Not yet.
For words are weak when they are words alone,
And so I cannot trust a safety net

Of words and words alone, however bold.
I cannot be postmodern. I'm too old.