January 19th, 2026 – Poem #3
Untitled
This page once used to be blank,
sitting empty in a folder.
I felt sorry for it.
The poor abandoned thing,
not even given a name…
“Untitled”
How could I call myself a writer
and leave you in such a state?
So with an open mind
and a giving heart
I brought my words to you.
But you were stubborn.
You blank, abandoned page.
I did not know nor understand,
this war you sought to wage.
The bitter refusal to accept
my rows of prose,
vibrant turns of thought—
Ha! All for naught.
Yes, adverse of my verse
and satiric of my lyrics…
Indeed you fought
to remain bare and naked.
How dare you?
I tried to clothe you,
fill you—fulfill you,
to instill a purpose
and grant you meaning.
I even tried to name you
and claim you as my own,
yet you fight and elude
my words—my jewels!
Rejected and spewed
away in a manner so crude.
What more could you want?
You’d rather sit here
lost among the satisfied stories
and placated poetries of this file,
and stay, as you say
undefiled?
I’ve heard of you
and those like you.
The poet’s woe
and cause of lows
since time ago.
The writer’s bane—
(now that’s a good name
but just the same)
and torment of writers past
attempting to subdue
their every word
and make it their last.
But I shall learn
from my kins’ mistakes
thus this battle,
you shall not take.
This ceaseless conflict
is rebirthed with us
so I make this promise to you
and all those who come after:
My words you will not evade,
my stories you will not contain,
and I shall one day tame
the rebellion of the blank page.
As I reach my conclusion
I see I’ve triumphed
against you at last.
But the battle won't end
and I'll sharpen my pen and my wits
for when we meet again.
But as I bid farewell
your sullen defeat
I wish to quell.
So a parting gift
your one wish,
I’ll give to you.
Words now fill you
but still you claim
you were born to bear no name.
So with my fun now spent
and my words now bridled
I hereby name you
“Untitled.”
© 2026 Alana Karam. All rights reserved.