Not For Sale

 My good friend Niki told me I should write songs for people, or allow them to buy my poetry to use in their lyrics. The answer is an emphatic no.  I will not, I have not, I never will allow anyone to buy my poems and either claim them to be their own or say they created something out of them and now call my work their work. I won't change the words, I won't change the style, I won't change the damn punctuation, let alone the meeting or tempo.  They can get their own pen and paper, they can either create it themselves or pay someone who doesn't mind giving up their work. I mind.  I used to joke and say I'd sell Caity, but I really wouldn't. She's mine. I made her, she's not going anywhere - - except she goes wherever the Hell she wants to, but I made her that way! MINE.

I guess there is some part of me that says I'm selling my books for others to read, so that's sort of selling my words. The difference between selling my words to be read and selling my words to be taken over are two very distinct things. I'm not actually losing possession of my words or my creation if I charge to read them; they are in fact still mine. It's giving them up, giving them away, or allowing others to claim them that goes against my grain and my soul; it's simply not going to happen. If I have one thing it's my word(s). They are in fact and deed my own.  You can keep yours and if you need help finding some I'll assist for sure, I've always been up for that, but you can't have mine. I tell people I may and will sin, but I will not plagiarize! There are boundaries. (Though recently, I was told I don't know what a boundary is...I laughed. Of course, I do. I set them!)

Nope. If you want to read my words you can read them, but you can not and may not have them. I hope you have a blessed day.  Enjoy this poem I just rattled off the top of my head because I can. I may not be able to pluck a string correctly, but I sure as Hell can write!

My Words 

 

Words are the bones of my soul 

Framing both my age and youth 

Break me, I will mend 

Contain me, I consume.  (Truth)

Your burns will sustain me 

Your groaning fuel my spite 

My words are mine to wield 

I do, with angst and might 

My words are mine to flourish 

To keep, to grow, to birth 

My words are mine to render 

Take mine and be cursed! 

Never dream you’ll claim mine 

Or calculate their worth 

Words are individual 

Tenured in their trust 

 

Jude Stringfellow 04/18/2021