ARTIST

So you experience the world
Like swallowing chunks of ice
And everything feels like it makes you want to cry?
She looks at me stunned,
Like I’ve been standing in her bedroom,
Or walking beside her in the hallway,
Listening to her to talk to herself for weeks.
Don’t worry, I say, it’s fine
You’re an artist,
That’s all.
Wipe your tears,
Have courage, get strong,
Have faith in what you know,
And a will like iron for the work.
Express what’s inside you,
Share what you know to be true,
And work like your life depended on it,
Because it does.
Speak to us with energy and passion,
Because we need it,
Need you,
To carry us on your back,
From this burning building.
Know there’s a place in the wider world,
Where your voice can be heard,
Resonant and clear,
And where you can say
What’s in your head
That makes people nod knowingly at what is familiar,
And say, Oh, yes, I feel that too,
And now I can get out of bed in the morning,
Knowing
There’s someone else
Struggling to make sense
Of all this…