Don’t Give up on Poetry (or the Poetry World) Yet

I am writing this at the end of a few of the most rancorous and scandal-ridden months that I’ve experienced in the poetry world. A few of my friends have told me (though they are great and accomplished poets) that they are thinking of quitting poetry altogether – when the poetry world gets ugly, and when the poetry world gives so little in terms of rewards, it’s understandable to feel this way.

But let me say a few reasons why you shouldn’t give up on poetry – or even the poetry world – yet.

1. Poetry is a fantastic art form and outlet, regardless of the people involved. There are some poems I can read and re-read endlessly with delight. They’re more satisfying and take less time than a novel, while providing many of the same rewards. When I get hit with a poem idea in the middle of the night, the middle of a movie, or whatever, one of my happiest times is writing that first draft of a new idea for a poem. This kind of happiness remains whether or not the poem gets published, recognized, whether I get paid for it, or whether anyone ever notices anything you or I do. So, the reading of and creation of poetry should be happy-making, regardless of “poetryworld.”
2. I would say the poetry world is made up of 75 percent excellent people. Friendly, open, willing to help, empathetic, and enthusiastic about promoting the art form that is the least profitable and the most obscure, they are often teachers or professors or editors, wanting to do something to make the world a better place despite their individual burdens. There are probably, max, seven percent of the poetry world that are true sociopaths –  needlessly mean, selfish, and uncaring about hurting others. There’s probably another seven percent of narcissists – mostly harmless, but definitely not interested in helping others, only themselves. And there’s one percent of genuine saints of poetry – those who go out of their way to donate their time, energy and money to worth causes, willing to lend a hand, thinking of others above themselves. So, think about this – don’t let 14 percent of all poets hijack the good parts of the poetry world for you. They make the most noise. The make the “news.” Some of them win awards and wreak havoc as much as they can.  But they are in fact, not the majority, not by far, at least in my unscientific experience with the poetry world. And make sure if you run into that one percent of poets who are saints, that you say thank you and help promote their work, because they’ll be too busy helping others to do it themselves.
3. Maintaining hope, a sense of humor, and kindness in the face of negativity is maybe the most important (and hardest) thing you can do in life. I have a hard time doing it most of the time, when I watch the news, when I get a rejection letter, when someone is mean to someone else in front of me for no reason, when a jerk gets the rewards while the talented, kind and unselfish get passed over, I get angry. I want justice, of course. Working towards justice is a good thing, and you can use any anger to propel forward to the things you want to achieve – if you’re outraged by classism, racism, sexism, etc., then take some action towards making the world a better place for the people around you, the poets you love that get no attention. Sometimes the larger world – and the poetry world – can appear to be so overwhelming and chaotic you think you’ll have no impact, so you give up to despair. But I am here to tell you, you are already probably having more of an impact than you think. If you called a friend to cheer them up, or worked vigilantly for free as an editor, or the runner of a reading series, or with underprivileged students, you are making the world a lighter, better place.
4. Protect your art. Practice it. Let it make you happy. Don’t worry about where it’s going. Your poems could change the world, could light up the heart of a kid 50 years from now, could make someone who is suffering feel that they are not alone. You don’t control where your writing goes, all you control is writing it and sending it out with intention and hope. The bitterness and jealousy and pettiness and cruelty  – all those things will only distract you.
5. Poetry – and the poetry world – will be there waiting for you if you want to take a break.