in the evening he comes
out of the steaming
sewer
and takes the time
to place the lid back
He fixes his clothes
and his fingerless gloves
and clears his throat
it’s snowing again
he ambles towards a bus
station
where children and young
students await
“Eh, bad town to be a writer,” he
says to them. “I picked
a bad town, that’s
what I did.
Should’ve gone to
some arid place. Well, maybe
in the next life.
For now
I’m staying here and
I keep writing
about death. When all other
topics fail
you,
death is always there.”
The children
and the students watch
him as he
paces closer
Suddenly he points
at them
and says, “Ey, those of you
who major in arts…”
Then he pointed
at the sewer he crawled out
of, “I’ll welcome
you in my kingdom in
a few years. Be sure
to save up on money,
booze
or tobacco. The rent is
low
but it’s in place, haaaah!”
and with that he
was gone
Disappeared into an alley
whistling
-BOGDAN DRAGOS
Bogdan Dragos supervises casinos for a gambling company, working twelve-hour shifts locked in a dark office full of TV monitors. There he mostly daydreams and writes poems and stories. He also manages a poetry blog Daydreaming as a profession.
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Reblogged this on Daydreaming as a profession.
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Bogdan asks a question and answers it in the kindest way his dark poetry permits him. An Art Major? Down the drain you go and don’t forget that there ain’t no free lunches waitin’. Frowned upon, ridiculed, condemned – a few reactions to those pursuing the course of liberal arts, humanities, social sciences, languages and culture. God forbid you end up a writer, just keep walking to offload the shame.
Congratulations Bogdan!
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(っ◕‿◕)っ Thank you very much, Terveen!
I’ve heard this quite a lot. About people who study arts in college ending up with no serious job to put bread on the table.
I haven’t studied arts myself, and don’t know if it’s true or not, but… I just did what I always do and wrote a poem about it…
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You never know when a writer will shine. Do you know the story of the author of Harry Potter Novel, Bogdan?😃
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Yes, I’ve heard it a few times :))
I forgot how many rejections she’s been through (12+, or 20+, or more) until one publisher said yes. But it is indeed an inspirational story. Quite encouraging.
=✪ ᆺ ✪=
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Just remember this and keep going, Bogdan ～(つˆwˆ)つ
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Absolutely!
Thanks (๑′ᴗ‵๑)
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Good heavens……
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༼ ºل͟º ༽ Yeah… art can take you there. But a degree in arts apparently can’t….
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Artfully said……
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Fabulous vignettem Bogdan and with your talent for dialog, even monologues grasp our attention and hold it in place until the end. You have that special knack:)
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Aw, thank you so much! I really appreciated it (′ꈍᴗꈍ‵)
With this one, I’ve done something different. Something extra :)))
And I’ve uploaded the recording of me reading it (🙈🙈)
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Oh yes…your voice of course is perfect!! I think I could have picked it out of 10 voices random voices… It actually makes the scene even scarier:):)
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Oh, thank you! (⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)
(blushing…)
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You are something else. You know, there are occasional days when I think about the money our family spends to support my writing (tools), and then I think everyone with a hobby spends money in order to sustain that hobby. Think about what golf cost, and I remember what it used to cost when we went skiing at excellent resorts. I love the way that you wrote this a sort of forwarning to those who get a degree in art that without another income and the ability to spend the kind of time required in order to get good at any of the arts – a lifetime, you may have to live a humble life. I get so much joy from my writing; it was a great story, my friend. Blessings to you and a great big hug, Joni (I hope we all keep doing what we love)
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ʕづ•ᴥ•ʔづ Thank you so much!
Since I’ve started writing, I’d always find myself thinking about the old myth of the starving artist. After all, they say that the best art comes from those who suffer the most.
Still, I found it quite hard to believe that someone would intentionally put themselves through difficult situations only so they could ‘squeeze’ better art out of themselves.
Well, luckily, I realized that good art can be made by well-off people as well as poor ones. There is only one requirement in this.
It has to come from the heart.
What doesn’t come from the heart, doesn’t touch the heart.
(and that’s also one of the main reasons why artificial intelligence can’t create good stories yet)
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Well, God bless him! Great poem.
Gwen.
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Thank you very much, Gwen! ٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و
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Thank you, my friend. I totally agree with everything you have said. When I heard that artificial intelligence was writing poetry, it made me sick. You are a thoughtful and very kind human being my friend, and I am so glad to know you. Big hugs, Joni
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I love this! The imagery is so visual, and the message is so clear. I keep visualizing him as a hunchback who has become deformed by his lifestyle.
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Thank you, Dawn! ⊂(´･◡･⊂ )∘˚˳°
Honestly, that comes very, very close to what I’ve had in mind when writing this poem :))
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This poem had me thinking long and hard about how much further to pursue this dream of mine. It’s not a deterrent.. Bogdan delights with his stories, causes reflection, stirs the emotions…and that’s why we write. Great post mate
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