On The Reputation of Poets.

It is often embarrassing to tell people that I write, because they then ask what I write, and I am forced to admit that, amongst other things, I write poetry. At which point, a lot of people, especially men, will abruptly change the subject or look at me as though I had just said that I are rather keen on flowers and sodomy.
Poets, particulate male poets, have a terrible reputation amongst the majority of the population.
This is partly because of the likes of Wordsworth writing about flowers so much (flowers are rather good, but there are so many other things to write about), partly because of the debauchery of the likes of Wilde and Lord Byron (both excellent poets, but morally questionable chaps), and partly because many modern male poets right such terrible nonsense.
In the past, poets were the rock stars of their age. They were not 'soft men', and more often than not they were overly keen on, and very popular with, the ladies. Coleridge served as a Dragoon in his youth, Poe trained as a military officer and served in the artillery, Lord Byron raised his own army and declared war on the Turk. This was reflected in the passion of both their work and their lives.
All the men I know who write poetry are down to earth, hard drinking men. The women who write are practical yet passionate.
Most of the best poetry is about girls and death.
The reputation of poets needs to changed; from one of prejudice to one of fact.
We ought to lead by example.

  More art by Harry Clarke, from illustrations to Goethe's Faust.