The Poor Poet

The Poor Poet

by Stu Leventhal

Poets are paupers; charming, rogue, flamboyant often… but they are not supposed to be wealthy. Intellectuals yes, we can all agree, we view our favorite poets as smart, witty, geniuses even. The musicality of their phrases, the uniqueness of how they interpret, the passion in their statement, the humor in their remark… all makes our hearts beat faster.

Still, our #poet heroes do not get rich writing #poetry. It’s a labor of love, fun, a challenge, a self-education activity, a soul searching session, therapy, a hobby… But #poem writing ain’t a valid career choice!

One’s high school guidance counselor is not going to recommend that you pursue becoming a professional poet. One’s parents or guardians will not be happy if you proclaimed you wanted to be a pro-poet when you grow up. Poem writing is a fun hobby but what kind of real job do you see yourself doing? Policeman, firefighter, doctor, lawyer, chef… Are you considering a career in the military, farming, ranching? Poetry alone, just will not pay the bills.

So #poets are delegated to toil at a so called, real job; baker, construction worker, dentist, auto mechanic… and create their poems when they can.

But are #poems a commodity that society can do without?

Poets compel themselves to write poems. Once you catch the bug for poetry creating, it is not something you turn off. Poetry writing and poem reading is a calling. 

Language manipulating and artistic talk is a gift that comes to many naturally but it can be cultivated too. Writing good poems takes time. One usually has to study other poets before one can develop one’s own voice. Poetry is about saying things powerfully and beautifully. You need to develop something important to say, worth putting in a poem. Next you have to have skills to frame your communication in a high quality manner. A manner worth listening to! 

A poem is not just talking expressively or writing a compelling letter. Both of these take talent too but poetry is classified as ART! You are telling something not directly but through innuendo, metaphor, using symbols. You emphasize with rhyme and rhythm.

 Poems are often cryptic puzzles. Other times they are simple messages dressed up in party outfits. Poems are celebratory. They can be warnings or questions.  

Many poets and poem readers feel that poems are amazing. Some say a good poem is a glimpse into the deep recesses of its creator’s mind. So why, as a society, do we not want to pay our great thinkers for their poetic contributions, their insights and ideas? 

Few of the public buy recently published poem books all authored by a single poet. Collections by multiple poets, about a specific theme; a holiday for example, sell somewhat better, especially as the holiday nears. The problem is how much would each poet get paid in a collection, for their one poem contribution? Remember that poems are often short, so if you get paid by the word, it will not amount to much of a pay check… Not enough to quit your second job.

Birthday card poems and holiday card poems for Greeting Card Companies do pay a small fee for poems…and they do need lots of fresh material. But most poets are seeking bigger fame, fortune and respect. You can try doing some song lyrics too but the music business is also tough to break into. Marketing companies too, use poems in ads occasionally. 

Many poem collections come about by contests which get thousands of poem entries trying to win. The judges pick the best poems to publish. Lots of these publishers make their money off of the poets’ entre fees. Many don’t pay the winners. Your prize is the opportunity to be published. They also sell a lot of copies of the book of winning poems to the actual poets that were chosen to be included. Many, first time, published poets will buy a few copies of these contest winner collections to give to their friends and family because they are proud to finally be in print. But the question is; can poetry be a real career that is not a hobby or part time gig? Not realistically. 

The best poets inspire something; smiles, anger, chuckles, hope…

 Ben Franklin said, “God heals and the doctor takes the fees.” Not a poem but stated with attitude.

Ben also wrote, “For those who use the Gag's Restraint… First rob, before they stop Complaint.”

Here’s another Ben Franklin ditty, “Grief often treads upon the heels of pleasure. Married in haste, we oft repent at leisure… Some by experience find these words misplaced… Married at leisure, they repent in haste.” 

Did Ben get paid for all his famous witticisms or did Ben Franklin just like saying them?

Ben was a scientist, who flew a kite to discover electricity. Ben also was a politician, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States who helped craft the Declaration of Independence. Franklin left school at age 10! 

Known for saying things like, “Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.” Franklin also said, “Nothing gives an author so much pleasure as to find his works respectably quoted by other learned authors.”

Now, every poet can’t make their fortunes by starting their own printing press like Ben Franklin did. If you do though, you can print your own poem books. Most of us rely on finding someone, a benefactor, willing to spend money on publishing our stuff for us. 

It is all about partnerships. Poets, you need to find a person who believes in you and who wants to hook their ladder to your poetic genius wagon. An agent, publisher, editor that loves poetry and poets and especially sees something worthwhile in you and your work. No writer wishes to be the seller too. Poets have pride. 

Writers like writing, creating new works, not selling their projects!

Creating and selling are two very distinctly different tasks and skillsets. You need a sales person, a promoter to tell folks about you and your art. 

Poets rarely take more than a short break when finished writing a piece, they want to start writing the next poem. You can’t write and sell your work too. You need someone who is always selling while you are always creating more great art. Thinking, crafting and recording your ideas is what drives you. Creating is what you are good at; leave the marketing and selling to marketers and sales pros. 

Selling, marketing, promoting is a chore, hard work, annoying and even demeaning to many authors… Our work should sell itself! 

But of course not much in this world sells without a great marketing plan and promotional strategy.

Making a living solely by writing poems is not impossible but very improbable. Few succeed just on poem creating. The skills of crafting great poems take persistence, trial and error to develop. It is tough to pull off writing poems successfully, consistently at a fast pace. So, to make a living a poet must write fast but still keep the quality high. Yet, poets do not get paid much for their works. Poets must have a main non-poet job to pay the bills. 

Many poets go into teaching. If they are lucky they get to teach about literature and poetry.

Stop a person on the street and ask them if they own a poetry book and the few that do, will mostly name a long dead poet’s work; Dickenson, Frost, Whitman... This could be considered a sad state of affairs for one currently seeking a full time career in poetry. 

Poetry creating is fun and often gives the poet’s life; meaning, purpose and powerful joy… People who are not poets may not get that we are testing ourselves, growing mentally, keeping sharp and always discovering new things about our self. Challenging ourselves with poetry writing, helps us learn what really moves us and what is truly important. 

Sure poets, like everyone else, want to get rich and famous for their work... recognized for their artistry!

Poets will not give up when they can’t get signed by a literary agent… They write more poems! 

Poetry writing is a poet’s alone time. We write poems regardless of if they are published or if our work receives praise. We have to put pen to paper. It is who we are, a part of us. 

Oh, we write for the reader but the toiling is for us. It is a labor of love. We are happy when creating a new poem. The rewards may not be monetary, for poets but the satisfaction of working on the next poem means everything to us.

Selling, many poets feel, is seedy, sneaky, full of trickery, manipulation and deceit…below them! 

Poets, in general, do not want to be associated with business, money making or greed. By nature poets speak out against wealth and are champion warriors for the poor and struggling.

The starving artist is still a charming concept that readers and the masses conjure up in their heads to portray their poetic heroes. 

Would the world be a better place if we required all people of power to first prove one-self to be a poet of merit before they were allowed to sit at any corporate board-of-directors’ table, serve as a politician or be a Principal in charge of running one of our schools? How about if all our military leaders, presidents, kings… all had to pass an exam on poetry before they were put in charge of weapons, troops and big life and death decisions? 

We know that our poets are some of our deepest, most thorough thinkers. Poets are idea folks, creatives, imaginative and they often see things others miss. Yet, do we dare require our leaders to be poets first?

Society values poets, historians hail poets often as geniuses. Other poets speak highly of their fellow poets but we just do not pay our poets! Not enough pay so they can ply their craft all day, get better, learn, try new ideas out, thrive… 

In fact, many of our most hailed poets aren’t discovered until long after they are dead. 

The sad truth is; poets must have a main job that is not poet related, to pay their bills.

When are we going to start paying our beloved poets? 

Perhaps when we realize that the world needs more... powerful poetry!