Monday, September 09, 2013
"The Poet's Hierarchy,"poem by Pesha Joyce Gertler
The Poet's Hierarchy
for Galway Kinnell and
for the Poet Populist Movement
It's as if, here too, there's a hierarchy:
a Poet's Heaven, where the favored few
live, feeding on fame, Pulitzers and paychecks
on parties, applause and booksignings
in the midst of endless wine and crackers and cheese.
O the celebrity! O the throngs!
And then there are the rest of us
also in love with the word, the mystery:
we dance, unnoticed, in the alleys of the world
we dance, barefoot, on the pavement, in mud --
we are the peasants, the gypsies, the beggars
dancing outside the Poet's Heaven,
dancing, nonetheless, under stars.
- Pesha Joyce Gertler
(This poem should be dedicated to every poet, writer, artist, musician, or performer of any sort who follows his/her craft for the love of it, not for fame and money. Someone remarked that the problem with becoming famous is that then you have to spend all your time being famous.)
(Image from wikipedia)
