chaotic discipline

I do not believe
in spanking children
that is why
when I’m attending
a performance
and that bad girl inside me
starts whining over trivialities
I just hand her a pen
a piece of scrap paper
and tell her to just write down
whatever is bothering her

Mostly this works well

Sometimes she starts writing
notes to her co-attendees
but often you can see her
sitting quietly in the first row
furiously scribbling to herself

A lot of what she writes about
pertains in an acerbic way
to the goings-on on-stage
but sometimes she starts
dragging the most amazing stuff
up out of the bottom of my brain
putting it down on paper
for everyone to see

She calls this stuff poetry

when she gets home
she types it up
starts reading it aloud
sending copies off
to would-be publishers

I don't know what to do