I live in Boston and I write poems. Some of my friends are poets. They don't always get along with each other. Sometimes my friends write poems that I really, really like. Sometimes they write poems that I don't like very much. When they write a poem I like, I usually say "I like this poem." When they write a poem I don't like I will more often than not not say much about it, unless they ask me specifically about the poem, at which point I will try and offer my opinions about how the poem could be improved, based on my understanding of what the poem is trying to do.

When I meet someone I've never met before, generally I prefer to be polite and friendly to them. Sometimes I meet people who have published books. Sometimes I meet people whose poems I've read for a long time and like very much. Sometimes I meet people whose poems I don't like as much. Sometimes I meet people in bars who sell aluminum siding, or vaccuum cleaners. Generally speaking, I prefer to be polite and cordial when I meet all of these people. This way, they are more likely to be polite and friendly to me. Which, generally speaking, is how I prefer to be treated.

Sometimes people don't like my work. This can hurt sometimes, but I believe in my work and everyone is entitled to their own aesthetic opinion. I have a number of friends who often do not like my poems. Sometimes I wish they liked my poems more, but this does not tend to lessen the experience of hanging out with them. Many of my friends like Cock-Rock. I personally cannot stand Cock-Rock. I never listened to Heavy Metal in high shcool, and I still sort of hate it. Sometimes these friends and I have funny arguments about Cock-Rock.

I've been writing poems for a long time and hope that my poems can find their way into the hands and brains of anyone who's life might be somehow enhanced by having read them. I wish this for anyone who feels compelled to write poems. The world is lonely enough as it is, it's better if people can be connected to things that make them feel less lonely.