Past Tense?

Now that I am no longer Alexandria's Poet Laureate, when that topic comes up in conversation (and JC usually makes sure it does--I love him so) there's one question that always seems to arise. "Do you still write poetry?" The first time I was asked, I must have looked as flummoxed as I felt. Why, of course! Just because I am no longer paid my handsome honorarium (which amounted to about enough to have a hamburger each week) doesn't mean I don't see things and write about them. What an odd question!

But, as it surfaced time and time again, I became sadder and sadder. Apparently one is supposed to require payment--or at least some recognition or status--to do something, anything! I was a closet writer for over fifty years without any notice, without any pay. Most people never knew that I wrote sentences, much less poetry, for over 80% of my life. Then, by some inexplicable lightning strike, I suddenly was recognized as a writer, as someone with something worth saying. And then, my term ended. Does a candidate stop speaking when he's not elected? (We should be so lucky..) Does a reporter stop writing when he retires? Or a chef stop cooking when his restaurant closes? Granted, recognition is nice, but it usually doesn't last forever. Writing is like breathing, for those who do it. An autonomic response. Just as artists carry a sketch pad to catch on paper something that inspires them, so do writers scribble things down when a phrase or image strikes. It's a lifelong passion, a habit that doesn't quit.

Of course, I still write poetry. The audience may be smaller, but it's the one that counts most: me.