I've been trying to find connections between myself and my time and that of the Romantics, but this is more just a rant about the now:
I'm a little bit sad at the moment because I'm worried about great art. People seem to care less and less about poetry because they aren't taught to value such a thing. Whereas poetry in the Romantics' time seemed to be cherished. Those poets were writing for people aside from the elite and the impact of their writing seemed to be explosive. When a poet today publishes, there is nary a whimper. When was the last time I heard about a poet making waves? Never in my life, that's when. Poetry's reputation is just bad. Poetry is the nerdy kid at school. Poetry has no cool factor, no swagger. Poetry is aligned with that which is difficult. A strain. Too much thinking. "I don't get it." "It's too hard." OR, my favorite, "I could easily write that myself, how simplistic." WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?
And while some of my writer buds say that it doesn't matter: "we're not writing for that audience anyway"...I just look at them and shake me head. That kind of thinking makes no sense at all. Who else would we be writing for? Do I really want to write for some pretentious asshole who thinks Joyce is God in heaven? Absolutely never in my life will I write for that guy because heaven forbid, I am a part of that audience. However many books I read, however many degrees I accumulate, I will never align myself with the elitist academia freaks who purportedly value all that is truth but dismiss the audience right in front of their faces who scream the truth every day, all day.
I guess I just want to know if it is even possible to change the world with poetry anymore. Does a poet just have to be good enough? Does he just have to write about the right thing? Strike the right chord? And how does one get poetry to the masses when NO ONE is reading that stuff anymore? Will poetry ever be valued again? How can poetry evolve to appeal to an audience other than the people whom I hate with all of me?
ALL OF ME ALL OF ME ALL OF ME.
I'm a little bit sad at the moment because I'm worried about great art. People seem to care less and less about poetry because they aren't taught to value such a thing. Whereas poetry in the Romantics' time seemed to be cherished. Those poets were writing for people aside from the elite and the impact of their writing seemed to be explosive. When a poet today publishes, there is nary a whimper. When was the last time I heard about a poet making waves? Never in my life, that's when. Poetry's reputation is just bad. Poetry is the nerdy kid at school. Poetry has no cool factor, no swagger. Poetry is aligned with that which is difficult. A strain. Too much thinking. "I don't get it." "It's too hard." OR, my favorite, "I could easily write that myself, how simplistic." WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?
And while some of my writer buds say that it doesn't matter: "we're not writing for that audience anyway"...I just look at them and shake me head. That kind of thinking makes no sense at all. Who else would we be writing for? Do I really want to write for some pretentious asshole who thinks Joyce is God in heaven? Absolutely never in my life will I write for that guy because heaven forbid, I am a part of that audience. However many books I read, however many degrees I accumulate, I will never align myself with the elitist academia freaks who purportedly value all that is truth but dismiss the audience right in front of their faces who scream the truth every day, all day.
I guess I just want to know if it is even possible to change the world with poetry anymore. Does a poet just have to be good enough? Does he just have to write about the right thing? Strike the right chord? And how does one get poetry to the masses when NO ONE is reading that stuff anymore? Will poetry ever be valued again? How can poetry evolve to appeal to an audience other than the people whom I hate with all of me?
ALL OF ME ALL OF ME ALL OF ME.
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