Modus Operandi
Graphomanic tendencies keep me away from the TV
where crime dramas blast incessantly
If you watch the same things long enough
they start to affect your dreams
Clues, alibis, and motives start to
infect everything
Not the gruesome details, or the
horrible descriptions, or the mild gore
None of that is bothersome, for
these blood-rimmed eyes have seen far more
It’s the paranoia, and the overactive imaginations,
the blatant omissions, the emotion-based accusations
These are what burrow into my pores,
these are what suck deep at my brain matter
Every murmur of voices I encounter
starts to sound like cop chatter
Still I can’t help but drift, I tune
into the ending, the unmasking
I intrude on a story at the
pivotal moment without asking
I write down every fictional
criminal’s name just in case
I run into them somewhere
I continue with my scribing,
the whole room is gasping and
sighing, the victim’s family on the screen
is wailing and crying
I was right about the outcome,
but I don’t care
(April, 2018)
Note: This is a throwback from 2018’s #NaPoWriMo. I can’t remember how many years I’ve participated in National Poetry Writing Month, but I do know that I look forward to April every year because of it. National Poetry Writing Month/Global Poetry Writing Month begins tomorrow & the challenge is to write a poem every day for the month of April. I’m going to do my best to participate every day & I encourage you all to participate as well. Happy writing!
Thistle Thoughts 
I enjoyed this poem’s Twilight Zone-y feel. Such an interesting idea of how lots of the same type of TV shows could infect a person’s brain and influence how they act. Well crafted. Also, good luck — and good skill — in your poetry writing during April!
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Thank you 🙏
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This would make a great short story in which the protagonist solves real crimes after researching them on the internet when she’s dreaming, and then tries to put together the pieces of what she remembers of the dream and eventually solves the case. She thus becomes a great detective but loses sight of reality. Excellent poem!
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You’re definitely welcome to write it! Thanks.
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I’ll decide at the last minute whether I’m up for it this year but I wish you a joyful and cathartic NaPoWriMo. ^_^ This one pinpoints exactly why my TV is only plugged in about once every three months, haha.
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😊
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Such a well-written poem which addresses a seldom-acknowledged problem. Good luck with napowrimo 2021, I’m participating as well!
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Thanks. Same for you. Can’t wait to read what you come up with.
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A well-written poem about crime dramas, though I think it also applies to TV in general. You’ve described eloquently how these crime thrillers enter your consciousness, and affect the way you think. Thanks for sharing this interesting poem with your readers!
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👍👍
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Sad (and unhappy) a true, this is is poem!
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Thank you for reading
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