He skipped
the writing of poems
for the day

in favor of 
earning a living
(or enough of one

to facilitate the writing
of more poems
at a later date)

Planning ahead
and investing in 
himself and 

his survival —
he’s been told
a million times at least

how important 
self care is
to the artist

Nonetheless
he felt that a little bit
of a hole 

had opened
in him and was visible
the way a hole in a T-shirt’s belly

however small 
tells a grim tale
to some observers

and begins to nag
at the wearer —
so with some trepidation

he forced the issue
and did enough 
to be able to say

he didn’t miss a day
He never misses a day
He never can miss a day

without a hole
opening
in his belly