The author of this poem entered a contest given only the accompanying picture, “-Shadowland” by Arthur Lawrence.

Oh. I see.

I’m not out there enough to be a known poet.

I’m too grounded. Too sane.

If I force myself into that area, though, it won’t be good. I think it’s best to stick with what I know. My own experiences will tell the greatest story.

The audience comes last, Rick Rubin says.

And Rick Rubin produced a lot of Johnny Cash’s late stuff.

Sigh. Every “successful” person attributes their success to something different.

We have to pick and choose which ones we want to follow.

As an artist, I choose Rick Rubin.