Poetry Doesn’t Sell

A Poem

Over and over again, we hear them say,

we read in the papers, we witness in our pocketbooks,

that poetry doesn’t sell — the section in the bookstores: small

the market: niche the paychecks: minuscule

and yet we know, we know it can’t be this simple, it can’t be this

dismal; poetry is out there, all day, every day —

poets are out here, all day, every day — there is value, that is soul deep

however, the system only values that which sells its soul —

is quick to give tips, tricks, advice is easy to gobble up, blind, fast, but

when people come across poetry — they love it, they feel it, they need it —

it might not sell, it might not be the next big hit but again and again, to those in the know,

poetry is everything

Jenny Justice is a poet mom who longs to bring poetry to life in ways that spark empathy, connection, joy, and feeling. She loves writing love poems, climate change awareness poems, poems for kids, and of course, poems about poetry and poets. You can follow her on Medium and at Jenny Justice, Writer. You can follow her poetry at Justice Poetic.