When I wrote my 2013 collection, Professional Poetry, the poems were intended to speak to the value of the working person / poet through the lens of her/his/their “day” jobs and the artist localizing her place in this structure. I examined the commodification of poetry and the absurdity of “mktg” in this space. “I Am Not You Are” was originally not supposed to be included in the collection, but it seemed a fitting end to illustrate the metaphorical tug between “contributing” (economic) member of society (consumer) and a waning citizen (unidentifiable in a petri of metrics and forced identity).
Watch here: https://vimeo.com/395610373