In answer to your question last night

To be a poet—                        a real poet—
is to be an intellectual.
            I am quite certain.
To be a poet
is to ask
convoluted questions
that don’t really mean anything
at all.
To be a poet
is to pretend to understand—             and
to give a damn—        about those
convoluted questions.
To be a poet—                        a real poet—
is to sound erudite—
learned—scholarly—lettered—wise—                                               /Pretentious/
at all times,
even if you’re not.
To be a poet
Is to wear the right clothing—            and
to practice your cool face                    in the mirror
so you’ll get it just right
at the next poetry reading.
To be a poet—                        a real poet—
is to write
                        in jagged
little
            lines
and think you’ve done
    something
quite                            profound.
If that is what it takes
to be a poet—             a real poet—
I’d rather you called me
                                    a writer.