They say poets write mostly for themselves; if anyone else likes it, well and good, if not, it doesn't matter; certainly, not to me.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
One can't write for all readers. A poet cannot write for people who don't like poetry.
We all write poems; it is simply that poets are the ones who write in words.
Poetry and prose are of equal importance to me as a reader, and there doesn't seem to be much difference in my own writing.
I don't think anybody reads a book of poetry front to back. Editors and reviewers only. I don't think anybody else does.
I think that is where poetry reading becomes such an individual thing. I mean I have friend who like poets who just don't say anything to me at all, I mean they seem to me rather ordinary and pedestrian.
I don't try to call myself a poet. But I know that my stuff is pretty literal, in that the themes are pretty simple and on the surface.
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.
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.
I would rather write poems than prose, any day, any place. Yet each has its own force.
I always thought that poetry is the verdict that others give to a certain kind of writing. So to call yourself a poet is a kind of dangerous description. It's for others; it's for others to use.