Obscurity

He never got to be

a one-hit wonder
because that’s lightning’s job
and he was instead
the steady drizzle
that glooms all
and never seems
to end.

She never got to be

a regional favorite but 
unknown elsewhere
because she was busy
being unknown
right here.  

I never got to be 

the object of devotion
from a small but loyal
group of fans because
loyalty is for the worthy.

We never got to be

cult artists toiling
in obscurity because
we barely toiled. It was all
so easy.  It all came so 
easily we could not 
define work, never mind
put it in.

As many reasons 
as there are drops of blood
in the soil.  

As many reasons
as there are pieces of art
no one’s ever seen or
cared about beyond the day
they were complete.

As many 
failures and masterpieces
as there are drops of blood
in the soil
on the graves
of people no one bothers
to recall

for longer
than a brushstroke
or a single word’s hang time
in the constantly remixed air.