A great many people seem to think writing poetry is worthwhile, even though it pays next to nothing and is not as widely read as it should be.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
On a practical level, poetry isn't something anybody has really made a great living at. I might sell some books and, once in a while, someone might pay to hear me read.
Anybody serious about poetry knows how hard it is to achieve anything worthwhile in it.
And, I mean, I think poetry does need to be met to some extent, especially, I guess, 19th century poetry, and for me, it's just been so worth the effort. It's like I'm planting a garden in my head.
I don't think it's always good to read lots of poetry.
People want poetry. They need poetry. They get it. They don't want fancy work.
I find great consolation in having a lot of poetry books around. I believe that writing poetry and reading it are deeply intertwined. I've always delighted in the company of the poets I've read.
It is my belief that many who think they dislike poetry are really poetical in their natures and are indebted to it, more than they imagine, for the success they may have achieved, even in practical pursuits, and for the enjoyment their lives have afforded them.
It's a sad fact about our culture that a poet can earn much more money writing or talking about his art than he can by practicing it.
I'm quite sure that most writers would sustain real poetry if they could, but it takes devotion and talent.
Written poetry is worth reading once, and then should be destroyed. Let the dead poets make way for others.