Your Daily Poem

This site exists for one purpose only: to help dispel the ugly and absolutely untrue myth that poetry is boring. Granted, a lot of poetry is boring, but you won't find it here. At Your Daily Poem, you'll find poetry that is touching, funny, provocative, inspiring, uplifting, and surprising. It may punch you in the gut, it may bring tears to your eyes, it may make you laugh out loud, but it most assuredly will not bore you!

Poetry on YDP—by poets living and long dead, famous to completely unknown--is specially selected for accessibility and appeal. Thanks so much for visiting—and remember: a poem a day keeps the doldrums away!

Just the Facts
by
Scott Owens

Just the most unlikely man to ever be called Friday.
Monday, maybe, or Wednesday, or Sunday
so long as Sunday meant jacket and tie,
church in the morning, second pew,
Latin, anyone's confession but his own.

Jack Webb, from the city, Los Angeles,
carrying badge number 714, so dead pan
not even Dan Akroyd could pull it off,
taking his coffee simply black.

No one cares anymore if the stories are true.
No one cares if the names have been changed.
No one tries to protect the innocent.
Where are you Joe Friday when we need you?
All we want are the facts.

Scott Owens is the author of 20 collections of poetry and the recipient of numerous awards. Professor of Poetry at Lenoir Rhyne University and former editor of two poetry journals, he is the founder of Poetry Hickory, a monthly reading series. Scott's newest collection is 'Round Here: Images from and Near Catawba County. He lives in Hickory, North Carolina, where he owns and operates Taste Full Beans Coffeehouse and Gallery.Learn more about Scott here.

Joe Sottile:
Yes, this poem is a gem. I remember that Dragnet Days, while growing up on Long Island. I almost remember meeting my hero, Hopalong Cassidy.
Posted 01/17/2011 11:26 AM

dotief@comcast.net:
Love it! What I wouldn't give for the unadorned facts!
Posted 01/17/2011 08:18 AM

Gary Busha:
An excellent, dead-pan poem. This one hit a chord with me. Thanks.
Posted 01/17/2011 05:33 AM

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