The King of Poetry
A cautionary poem for all ages.
How horrible it would be to end up
like Robert De Niro’s character Rupert Pupkin,
the struggling stand-up comic in Martin Scorsese’s film
The King of Comedy. This should be every new (and old)
writer’s fear as he or she strives to find (and keep) an audience
and/or get published before the world says: “Forget it — you’re wasting
your time — you should take up woodworking instead.”
How similar we sometimes are without even realizing it.
The way we practice all day in our heads, reciting
our carefully chosen words out loud, until we think
we’ve achieved perfection or salvation, sincerely believing
that anyone who can’t see the obvious genius in our work
is absolutely clueless as to what good writing is. Yes, we
can all fall into that trap, beloved and famous only in our own
delusional minds. Don’t be that guy, I tell myself. Keep your head down
and do the work. Let the kings and queens of this world have their kingdoms, and know that not everyone (if any) will praise your name
in the end, even if what you write, in your opinion, is truly great.
In other words: stay thirsty, my friends.
