CLICHÉS ARE AS OLD AS DIRT

"It is a cliché that most clichés are true, but then like most clichés, that cliché is untrue." Stephen Fry

We all use clichés. They are part of our social contract. There are certain things people have come to accept as part of our vernacular. These “sayings” are a standardized short-cut way of expression.

The title of this piece is a cliché. Other popular clichés include, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know,” “Actions speak louder than words,” and “Time heals all wounds.” I would be willing to bet that a least 90% of adults in the United States over the age of 40 have used at least one of these clichés at some time. In fact, I think it is likely that most of us have used all of them, and many others, dozens of times.

There are situations where a cliché seems quite fitting. When someone has suffered a loss, a disappointment, and is hurting, it is tempting to comfort them by saying “time heals all wounds.” Much of the time, this cliché is true, but as Stephen Fry points out in the quote at the top of this piece, as true as a cliché may seem, at times it can be untrue: there are wounds that time will never heal.

Writers try to avoid clichés like the plague. They are stale, unoriginal, uninspired, and boring - just like the previous sentence. If someone were to ask me how to write a poem, I would tell them to avoid using clichés, be original, be creative, and do not be sentimental. Today’s poem is a love poem void of clichés.

MAGNETIC MADNESS

I am a magnet.

my sea green eyes
emerald mystery
demand you -
explore

I am a magnet.

my enchanted core
vicious vortex
propels you -
enter

I am a magnet.

my kaleidoscopic spell
smoldering hunger
impels you -
succumb

I am a magnet.

my insatiable need
grasping soul
repels you -
but please -
defy

I beseech you
do not polarize
my splitting heart.