Leanne - My instant reaction is that this is a portrait of the artist -- any artist, stuck in the midst of the deaf, dumb, blind (and stupid). That desperate need to create bubbles and burns within, but to create for nobody is fruitless, one must have a receptacle of sorts. Yet when that creative necessity can find no target save the creator, he is painted as different, outside, even unwelcome. It is absolutely no wonder that so many creative types are viewed as insane, or at the very least depressed. The final line is the killer -- to hide oneself is to lie when all one really wants to do is produce truth.
Alcuin of York - And just who ‘neglects' the words? I'm reminded of Miles Davis. He always had this, ‘screw the crowd' attitude, respecting, it seems, only those who could genuinely immerse themselves in the music. I think that's a spot-on attitude. Ultimately, he played for only two things - the music and himself. Ultimately, that is the only way the artist can protect him-/herself. And Leanne dear, the receptacles will appear on their own, but only if the artist can be true to his/her art. Eventually some monkey comes along and...well, you know.
Alcuin
PS: Nice write, Prew, and nice picture too. Let me suggest for L9 ‘in' instead of ‘an'; it still alliterates enough, and adds to the multi-vowel dance of the line.
Word junkie - Thanks for your comments, everyone. Just to clarify the poem a little. I'm trying to say that there are people without the wherewithal to say what they want to say (in any artsistic medium) and I am asking how they express themselves. If you have no talent or inclination for writing or art or music how do you make known what you want to say? The last line is the paradox. While the artist expresses himself he also hides behind his work...using the work in place of himself.
Leanne - If you have no talent or inclination for art, you probably write lots of letters to the editor
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