They **** you up those scribes of old. <br />Who pilfered hard, then pilfered more, <br />Until there were no thoughts untold <br />And everything was “heard before” <br /> <br />They rhymed in “epic tales of man” <br />Until there were no rhymes unsaid <br />They raped the natural metaphor <br />Until the metaphor was dead. <br /> <br />Man hands on old ideas to man <br />It’s hard to think of one yourself. <br />So shred your structure and your plan <br />And pick one off the shelf.<br /><br />David Rudd Mitchell<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/carry-on-larkin-g/
