Unsolicited, By Brian James Rational Poet on FB/META and @Brianrrs37 on Twitter/X)

To my fellow poets who come up to me
Those who see only what they want to see
Uninvited try to give me their advice

Then when I tell them not to do that
They falsely accuse me of having a thin skin
They stupidly think that argument will win

It certainly is not up to me what the reader likes
I don’t pretend to fart rainbows every single time
I didn’t ask a penny for your thoughts

I didn’t ask you for a dime. It is also a blatant myth
That every poem must have a meter and a rhyme
The only thing I object to, is unsolicited chime

It is ok not to like a piece of work, or a certain style
But please don’t be a jerk, and spare your phony smile
I am not looking to become a Plath or Poe

I am only looking to be myself, and write about what I know.
If you like a piece of work, I think that’s really great
If you don’t like a piece of work, that is fine as well

But if you were never asked, it is not up to you to tell
Others how to think, or what style they should do
If you think you can do better, you can write poems too.
(end)

I am perfectly fine with advice WHEN someone asks for it. I am not ok with assholes who think they can give unsolicited advice to someone who didn’t ask for it.

Now, I have been writing for 30 years. I will never pretend that all of the thousands of poems I have written are masterpieces. Most of them are not. But occasionally I do get lucky and write a decent one.

I am not interested in being a perfectionist. I am interested in being myself. I cannot force a poem. I can only write what I feel. I do much better IN THE LONG TERM, not by dwelling on each piece of work, trying to make them all perfect. But simply buy never stopping.

I cannot afford to dwell on what every person thinks I should or should not do.