To be quoted by a thousand scholars,
used as a prop for some hopeless causes,
while earning enough to feed my old cat
bringing in those endless stipend dollars;
the rewards of my royalty clauses
helping me to grow sassy, sleek and fat,
outgrowing these cheap artistic collars –
the mind tends to boggle, as it pauses
to contemplate success so great as that.
And yet, I would rather be known as one,
who despite my many fatal flaws, is
trying to listen and join in the scat
of each new day and moment that’s begun,
than that.
20 MAY 2003
