The Tell-Tale Text

They’re almost all silent,

The voices in your head

Like these—only writing.

But some are insistent,

Silently hammering,

Insisting you must write

In ways acceptable

To them. But you can’t tell

What is acceptable

To them, or what would be,

So you keep composing

Like any composer

With severe tinnitus,

With everything you’ve read

Hammering in your head.