Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, MY ART, by GAMALIEL BRADFORD



Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

MY ART, by                    
First Line: My prose is for others
Last Line: To sing is my art.
Subject(s): Poetry & Poets


My prose is for others,
My songs for myself.
The slow dust that smothers
My poems on the shelf
Inflicts on my haughty
And insolent nerves
The treatment such naughty
Exposure deserves.

My prose is decorous,
Or strips other men,
Discretely sonorous
On things that have been.
My verse tears he curtain
From shuddering me,
Pale, haggard, uncertain,
As souls should not be.

My prose is large, sunny,
And pleasant to touch;
It brings me some money,
Though, damn it, not much.
My verse bares my pocket
As well as my heart;
Yet, love it or mock it,
To sing is my art.





Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


Other Poems of Interest...



Home: PoetryExplorer.net