Are you a poet? I am, and I tried like hell for years to get someone to put out a book of my poetry....Never happened, the thing is that though most people like poetry they don't want to buy it they want to see it, like to hear it, don't mind reading it, but Don't want to pay for it? And why is that? Poetry is seen by non-poets as a non-art, anyone can rhyme the word tree with the word flea, as an example. The general public fails to notice the story that even the simplest of poems tells.
So, someone noticed this, and rather than to help the plight of the unknown poet, he decided to get rich from it! See my point. If you are a poet, I am sure that you have seen many ads for poetry publishers that lead you to believe that you will finally become known, have your poetry published....There are a lot of companies that do it...Have you ever gotten that letter?
I did, I got it and believed it..
"Dear Mr. whoever. You are an outstanding poet, and we at the "whatever company" feel that you have the potential to go on and become a master of the art that is your trade. We want to be the stepping stone you use to reach this plateau, please submit us one of your works for possible publication. (or something similar)
Well, I did
About six weeks later, I woke my girlfriend up, I was all excited because they said that they had accepted my poem for publication, and what was more was that they thought I had a good chance of winning the "grand prize" of one thousand dollars...Would you be excited if you heard that?
Now, understand that the publication of my work was on my talent alone, I was under no obligation to buy anything. I thought "wow, I must have real talent"... Of course, in order to get a copy of the book that my poem was published in, I had to send in fifty bucks... I did....
So, now I knew that I was in the running for this grand prize, thanks to the great ego stroke that they gave me, so I thought I would be a sure bet to win it all.
Well, the next month, I received an editors proof of my poem (as it would appear in the book) along with a special slip that told me that I was one of the rare people who had been selected to be on the special tape "The Sounds of Poetry" My ego was kickin'! $19.95 for the tape, a nominal fee when you look at the greatness I was about to behold.
Next came an offer for a Plaque to commemorate my achievment (major Ego Stroke) Made me feel like an employee of the month at burger king or something, well, anyway, I sent the thirty bucks
Still waiting for the book....Another letter from the company, what is it this time?..
"Your exceptional talent has led our editors to believe that we should make an entire cassette of your works. We want the world to hear your artistry, we want to make people know your name...All you have to do is send $100 dollars to us and we will make you ten tapes of your favorite ten poems"...
At this point, I was starting to get suspicious, but imagine...Your poetry on tape, for all the world to hear....
Almost a year after the original entry I got the book, yes, my poem was in there, on page 256, along with 5 other poems, in a 261 page book!
6 poems a page, in a 261 page book, that is 2,566 poems!
Now, assuming that each of them bought the book, that would be $128,300 that is a lot of money! Then I think, did I have talent or did they want my money, i refuse to count the money I spent on this little venture, but I warn you, there are too many poems for yours to win...
Maybe I am just a cynic, but let me tell you that the poem I entered for the contest was "these sorrowed seas" (viem it from my poetry page) and this is the poem that won.
"The Philosopher and W. Shakespeare
Pastime of aristocratic leisure
sidetracked fools in vain search
of the highest realm-alone to
court madness in the paradoxical
certainty of why and what
pristine, eternal revolutions of
every aspect, the mind mills of
your will.
Think, laugh, lament to your
wits end.
Go east to no mind
travel south to pleasure of simplicity
north to austerity
on a note of resolution
to wonder why
stoic to the end
there is less
in this world
than is dreamt of in
your philosophy.
Roy Rischar
All of the punctuation and words are exactly as they appear in the book "the Other Side of Midnight"
I don't know if I should have won, but, as an artist, I say that that one should not have.....
