To All Those Who Do Not Read My Poems Poem by Shalom Freedman

TO ALL THOSE WHO DO NOT READ MY POEMS

You are the world
The Army of everybody
You have a billion things to do
More interesting than reading my poems
I don't blame you
You are right-

Most of you do not care about poems at all
That's your business-

But for those of you who do love Poetry
There are many far greater and far better poets than I
Tens hundreds thousands perhaps millions-
Why read me
When there are so many others better than me?

I don't blame you
Sometimes I think I don't even want you to read me
Much praise is misreading
And much commentary less than wise-

But perhaps I am wrong
A bit pathetic, and exaggerating here-

I have had a few readers after all
And there have been times
When their words moved me

Still
The truth is

No one really reads me seriously
No one has an idea of what I have done-

No one has a remote conception
Of what all the poems taken together mean-

So I suppose sometimes
I am in fact disappointed with
And even angry at you all-

Couldn't even one of you really try to know my work?

It's okay
I'll manage to die without your love-

Continue doing all the things you are doing
Whether for pleasure or inspiration or love
Or whatever

You are there

And I am here

An old man complaining

Loving the writing
Just for what it is
And for my doing it

Thank God for all the poems I have written
Thank God for enabling me to write still

Alone I go on and will go on
Hopefully to very close to the end

Read or unread
I have written another poem
About the situation of the poet

Someone may someday read and value
Or as likely, not.