no fame, no glory (let alone the money and the girls)

i got into this business looking not for fame but for glory
which are often confused but they should be not
by "this business" i mean poetry, of course
what, you thought this was art?

ha
ha
ha

unfortunately for me i did not get glory nor fame
let alone the money and the girls
which i thought were the perks of being
a celebrated author

i got none of that
and that's ok
i'm still in the business
alive and well

not living in dublin
but right here in frisco
where i smell the breeze of the pacific ocean
and that's my daily pulitzer prize

if i also had you
then i would become so happy
i could afford abandon this business
there would be no need for poetry if i had you


peter hsu (Los Angeles, CA, 1971)