One Prose Poem by Stephen House

 

how much

sometimes i’m asked how much i get paid for a poem as if it is a gauge on the worth of the poem and me and i don’t answer because for me the money has never been a part of writing poetry and although now and then a few bucks come my way through a book or paying publication or gig or prize that’s just an occasional appreciated bonus because i’m going to write poetry anyway payment or not as it’s what i do and have always done and so when asked how much it feels like i need to justify my poem’s value in a capitalist statement when i’m more interested in whether the poem i’ve written says what i want it to and if i took the best approach to represent the thought that fuelled it and if i enjoyed the process of creating it and if it found a worthy home and how lucky i am to have poetry in my life and that’s why i don’t answer how much and instead smile and let who ever asked it guess how much or research the paying status of the journal the poem may be in or look into what the average poet’s income is for i don’t ask them how much they get working in whatever they do and i know my poetry is not validated by what i get or don’t get and while i’m not pissed off by being asked how much as people can ask what they choose to i do think when i am asked it is a bit rude to ask how much

Stephen House has won many awards and nominations as a poet, playwright, and actor. He’s had 20 plays produced with many published by Australian Plays Transform. He’s received several international literature residencies from The Australia Council for the Arts, and an Asialink India literature residency. He’s had two chapbooks published by ICOE Press Australia: ‘real and unreal’ poetry and ‘The Ajoona Guest House’ monologue. His next book drops soon. He performs his acclaimed monologues widely. Stephen’s play, ‘Johnny Chico’ has been running in Spain for 4 years and continues.