Author’s Note

This poem began as a collection of bad jokes.

Or at least that was the excuse.

Sometimes I start writing with no destination in mind. A phrase appears. Then a pun. Then another. A moon becomes a metaphor. Ducks end up in a rowboat. A piggybank loses all its cents.

And somewhere in the middle of all that nonsense, something honest sneaks in.

I’ve noticed that humor often works like a side door.

There are things I can say directly. There are things I can say through poetry. And then there are things that feel easier to approach sideways, hidden beneath wordplay, jokes, and absurd little detours.

This piece lives in that space.

The speaker keeps drifting away from the point, circling it rather than naming it. Every joke becomes a delay tactic. Every pun buys another moment before the truth has to be spoken aloud.

Because sometimes vulnerability isn’t difficult because you don’t know what you feel.

Sometimes it’s difficult because you know exactly what you feel.

And saying it out loud makes it real.

The title’s parenthetical reference, “1, 4, 3,” comes from an old numerical shorthand for a phrase many people know by heart. I liked the idea of building an entire poem around avoiding a confession, only to hide it in plain sight.

In the end, the poem says exactly what it means.

It just takes the scenic route to get there.

— Rowan Evans

Ocean Waves (1, 4, 3)
Poetry by Rowan Evans

I stand on the shore
giving ocean waves—
begging the tide
to take me away.

I trace the moon
across the sky,
I map it in rhyme.
Line after—
silver-lined metaphor.

I got my ducks in a row
boat—is that what the paddles for?
I know the direction,
what would I panic for?

You might be confused—
I know that made no sense,
like an empty piggybank.
No cents, thoughts scattered
like loose change.

I use jokes
to mask the truth sometimes.

It makes what I want to say,
an easier pill to swallow—

1 letter
followed by 4
then 3—

Together, they mean
you mean the most to me.
By your side—

is where I’m supposed to be.

Journey into the Hexverse…

[1-4-3]
A poem about love that isn’t rooted in need, but in choice. About finding safety not as a cage, but as a place where fear finally stops running—and stays.

[1-4-3 (Tongue Tied)]
A vulnerable poem about holding back the words that matter most. 1-4-3 (Tongue Tied) explores fear, emotional suppression, and the quiet ache of wanting to say “I love you.”

[What I Want to Say]
Sometimes the hardest words to say are the simplest ones. What I Want to Say explores love, hesitation, and the fear of what might change if you finally speak.

[No Parachute]
A poetic reflection on falling in love without hesitation—raw, uncertain, and without a safety net.

If you’re interested in more poetry, you can find it here → [The Library of Ashes]