Have you ever noticed how just being an artist doesn’t impress most people at all, but when you actually achieve something (i.e., get paid), they have an entirely different and much higher opinion of you? It's as if just being an artist is completely worthless unless and until the outside world takes notice. It's a very sad situation.
To illustrate my point, here’s an actual conversation I heard in a L.A. nightclub recently . . .
(A very beautiful girl sits at the bar. A young man wearing khaki’s and a plain white shirt approaches somewhat shyly.)
He:
Hi. I was watching you from across the bar and just wanted to say I think you're very pretty.
She:
(Without looking at him or smiling, as if she is told this several thousand times a day.)
Thanks.
He:
Can I buy you a drink?
She:
(Gives him the once over and is clearly unimpressed with his attire.)
(Sighs.) Sure, why not.
He:
What would you like?
She:
A Mai Tai. (The most expensive drink on the menu.)
He:
Bartender, can I get a Mai Tai, please?
She:
So what do you do? (Almost always the first question in L.A.)
He:
I’m an actor.
She:
Oh Jesus, not another one. (Yawns.) So, in other words, you’re unemployed, right? Everybody’s an actor in this town. I took a cab the other day. The guy could hardly speak English and he was an actor. You can’t spit in Los Angeles without hitting a friggin’ actor. They’re a dime a dozen. I think they should replace lab rats with actors because there are more actors than rats, and there are certain things that rats just won’t do. (Laughs.) Don't get me started on actors. They're cattle. Cheap whores who will do anything for money. So anyway, what are you doing - a play at a junior college or something?
He:
Actually, I just booked a starring role in a sitcom. The starting pay is a hundred and fifty thousand dollars per episode.
She:
Wow! You know, I love actors. They're so interesting and deep. I’ve always had the highest respect for actors and their craft.
He:
Really? That’s strange because a second ago you said –
She:
Oh, I was just joking around. Would you like to sit on my face?
He:
Excuse me?
She:
Sorry, I just get so excited when I’m around actors, I start saying silly things.
He:
Hmm. Well, it was nice meeting you. I have to go now.
She:
No!!! I mean, why don’t you stay a while?
He:
I’ve really got to go. (Gets up to leave.)
She:
(Takes paper and pen out of purse and starts writing rapidly.) Well, here’s my number. Call me sometime. You won’t be sorry, if you know what I mean. (Winks.)
He:
Yeah, I’ll do that.
She:
Hey, before you go, could you sign my boob?
He:
What?
She:
Could you autograph my tit? I just know you're going to be a big star!
He:
Uh, I guess so. (She pops one out. He takes the pen and writes his name on it.)
She:
Thank you! I’ll never wash it again.
He:
Okaaaayyy. Bye.
She:
Hey, by the way, I’m an actress. If there’s ever a part on your show you think I might be good for you, call me, okay?
He:
(Yelling from the door.)
Yeah, I’ll call you. Sure.
(He exits. She sits back down at the bar and drinks her entire Mai Tai in one gulp, as if trying to wash down the unsettling feeling that she might have just made the biggest mistake of her entire misspent and uninspired life.)
Alright, this conversation didn't really happen, but it could!
Moral of the story -
If you're a poet:
Don't wait for the world to recognize you before you pat yourself on the back. Do it right now! There are too many generals, not enough poets. Virtue really is its own reward. After all, what truly makes a life extraordinary? How we feel about ourselves, or how others feel about us? Internal (spiritual) wealth or external (material) wealth? Recognition from peers is great, but it will probably never come if we don't recognize ourselves as valuable first.
If you're the parents of a poet on this site:
Give your son/daughter a pat on the back for maintaining a poetic soul in this world, which is rapidly turning into a dungheap of despair. Rave about their poems the same way you would rave about the latest movie you saw. After all, whose creations are more important? Actors and directors you'll never meet? Or those of your own flesh and blood?
Just a few thoughts. If it sounds like I'm preaching, it's because I am.
Adding your comment:
Love you 
Anyways, you're proud of my poetry? Look at this masterpiece? You give POETRY and POETS a whole new and beautiful meaning 
... You are so right and I am so lucky to have such an AMAZING Uncle like you that recognizes and expresses such depth of appreciation to writers and poets, being one yourself.
damaging the whole system and image of poetry by pouring more and more bilge into it"? 
18 old applause
