“Integrity”, a poem by Jean M. Hodges

I’m so sick of seeing a bunch of rich pricks taking their pick of a crop

While artists steal, steal and will themselves with work to get to the top

Exposure is their only true payment as if empty promises can fill wallets

Or pay off someone’s rent?

I’d rather not give them a cent if it wasn’t for the fact that it’s the job a company to make money

So they take the money and ration it out to artists with the rationale that artists

Don’t need to make money, they need to make art

And yet we treat artists dreams as if they’re petty

And yet we collect artist dreams like they’re pretty little baubles for decoration

And dismiss the creator when they ask for compensation

For every piece of love they put into their work

Because money would sulley an artist’s integrity

As if artists don’t need to eat

As if artists don’t need to breath

My rich friend points to a painting above their stairs

Claiming that the artist was a favorite of theirs

And when I ask how much they paid is a sum that astounds me-

-but not as much as them grumbling that all artists want nowadays is money.

THE END

Original publish year: 2016

(c) Jean M. Hodges

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