Language..

I started reading an article that initially appeared

Quite interesting, but as I read further, the language seemed weird

There were metaphors woven into nearly every sentence

In a piece of prose describing an ordinary life experience

Words were painstakingly chosen but woefully out of place

I labored through the article at a painfully slow pace

While the overall premise of the article was interesting enough

The excessive use of literary devices made reading it tough

*

This reminded me of school English assignments which we would complete

Using difficult words and idiomatic phrases, in this way we would compete

With each other for grades, we were under the impression erroneous

That using flowery language and uncommon words was a plus

I carried that impression with me well into adulthood

Using as many difficult words and phrases as I could

*

I have turned in the opposite direction, now I advocate

Using language plain and simple, that does not suffocate

The essence of what one is trying to convey

I now use simpler words to say what I want to say

*

Regardless of the language, the article was good

Even though it required effort to be understood