Vol.12, No.68, 2009
PLAIN AND SIMPLE
by Daphne Winans

The best advice I’ve ever heard
Is: “Say it with a simple word.”
Writing that is cumbersome
Is apt to make us slumber some.

People throw a hissy-fit
When you flaunt your English Lit.
Sentences too long and fancy
Make a reader tired and antsy.

If a Giller’s Prize you seek,
Write things down the way we speak.
A trusty steed is just a horse
And spades are simply spades, of course.

When you’re clear and ordinary,
We won’t need a dictionary.
But if you write in cryptic code,
We don’t want to read your ode.

Folks love tales, as sure as shootin’
When they’re not too high-falutin’.
Like a painting, bright and bold,
So a story should be told.

Learned journals, convoluted,
Are for scholars better suited.
Pompous prose is really vain,
So keep it simple, keep it plain!