The Role of a Poet
Let us not speak for others but be true to the muse. Only then can we produce the means for catharsis, which is the purpose of all great art. Any consciousness about the highfalutincy of words is a distraction, for we do not know what will come.
As a lyricist, for example, I have been inspired by music to write words that I often question at the outset only to realize that they were a perfect explanation. If I fought with them about the seeming insanity, I might never get to the end of each gift from the voice of the person I have never met.
Poetry is a stream of consciousness that summarizes the truth. There will always be room for truth and the need for it to be spoken. Until our world is pure catharsis, it will be unsung. Egos are irrelevant. Let the work be judged on its own. I speak in this moment as if set fire. As an ekphrastic person, I am tuned to the infractions of desire.
Poetry is knee-jerk. It seeks to express joy, grief, and love. And yes, do not delay. Nothing is good if it is allowed to sit, notwithstanding a return to it, to see if something can be omitted/corrected. Fresh eyes can reveal a face too close, a mind too enamored. What we have to do is make sure all men and women have the freedom to write their own words. They have as much right and their words as much weight: Liberté, égalité, fraternité.
