So, to begin I would like to bring attention to the fact that between 2014 and 2018 alone, sales of poetry worldwide rose exponentially as a new generation of social media-savvy teens and tweens propelled the likes of Rupi Kaur and Atticus to newfound heights of popularity. Yes this new trend took the world by storm, but it is only through the continued dissemination and distribution of this new medium of poetry that keeps it cool.
Now don't get me wrong, an aphorism could be applied to anything in everyday life, and that partly plays into why so many people play into this trend. Poetry has always been reserved for those with a wily tongue and something witty to say. I like to think of comedians and poets as two sides of the same coin of entertainment - both predating modern rap music by generations. However, when you give a monkey some money, it doesn't take long for the monkey to realize that he can use that money for other things (in the context of a controlled environment). People have become accustomed to technological advances in every facet of our lives, and in fact every one of us in the first world takes heaping advantages when doing something as simple as taking a heated shower or going to bed with clean sheets.
Now apply that logic to the arts. When the flashy and convenient is forcibly marketed for years, it becomes increasingly difficult for anything not playing the market trend to gain traction. Used to be rap was reserved for the poor kids who had no other opportunity than to make music to escape their hells they called homes. Now, any college kid in his dormitory with a night job or an allowance from parents can afford to fund his rap dream. Now, you don't even need talent to get a record deal from music executives. Used to be artists had to prove themselves in a meeting of some sort to prove their willingness to perform and make the company some money. When you don't have to work hard to make lots of money, then the incentive to work hard becomes a meme and the money becomes secondary.
I wish I was rich enough that I could just smoke my brains out all day every day - but I'm not. I wish I was popular enough to make a tangible difference - but I'm not. I wish I could be lazy and make the world a better place - but I can't. Being honest about our demons helps us through the tough times when denial wouldn't suffice, but that does not provide the needed motivation to get up every day and hustle harder than the day before knowing no difference will be made and no money will be collected.
I like to force myself to do stuff that I am anxious about or that I dread. Doing these things helps acclimate me to when there is an unexpected chaos unfolding. But before I go any further on this rant, let me double back to what I said about comedians and poets. . .
Comedians make you laugh and you often leave a comedy performance happier than when you went in. Poetry however, poetry should be the tragedy that forces the viewers to question themselves and everything else to find that could be fixed. Comedy forces us to appreciate what we see or what we have, whereas poetry makes us appreciate what others see or have. Comedians teach sympathy when they tell their stories full of gravitas only to fall back onto a joke. Poets teach empathy when they tell their tales lessened by beauty only to fall back onto a rhyme. A good comic will call you ugly to make you laugh, but a great poet wouldn't lie to you if had a gun to their head. Some coins can only be bought halfway through the door.
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