Page 94
By Jack Joseph Smith
The Only thing
I look up
Is how to spell it
I'm a poet
All else
Is on my own
By Jack Joseph Smith
Original Scan
AI Interpretation
This page makes a dry ars poetica out of dependence and independence: spelling may be borrowed, but the poem itself has to stand on its own.
The joke is sharp because it narrows humility to a single practical concession. The captured title, `The Only thing`, reinforces the narrowing: everything else remains the poet's burden, so the page feels both self-mocking and stubbornly self-reliant.