Curses!

Apparently, I will not, in fact, ever be Poet Laureate of Minnesota. Governor Pawlenty vetoed the bill. I would like to deliver some rant against him for it, but if I'm being honest with myself, were I not a poet-type, I likely would not care either way. If the legislature, for example, were to overwhelmingly pass a bill in support of say, a Mime Laureate of Minnesota, and the Governor vetoed it, my reaction would overwhelmingly be, Who Cares?

It is not because I have anything against the arts, and I certainly DO believe the world would be a better place if people weren't so baffled by and afraid of poetry, but I tend to believe, somewhat, in the "separation of art and state." They seem to me like booze and pills -- like they shouldn't be mixed. Sure, you may feel good for a while... Right up until you pass out, puke on yourself, and wake up in the psych ward of the next county sporting a chicken suit and new tattoo, but really, no true good will likely come of it.

One thing that does bother me, however, is this: I am a practitioner of political moderacy, and there is an overwhelming assumption (in part because it is largely true) that the ranks of the poets in the country are filled to overbrimming with... How shall I say... "Lefties." Now... What kind of dilemma have I walked into here? Am I to be left permanently in limbo for my entire artistic life because I am acceptable neither to the liberals who permeate the arts, nor to the conservatives who will right me off at face because I'm attempting to be a part of the arts? What in the world kind of crackpot planet was I born onto?

Just a little "woe is me" to round out the day...

I know there are educators, writers, and others out there that might have an opinion on this... Speak up!