SUPPORTING THE ARTS

If my novel doesn’t sell,

Who will pay my bills?

Maybe I should get a job,

Or overdose on pills!

I’m a most determined guy.

A writer I’m bound to be.

I have an aptitude for words,

So friends and family tell me.

I know what! I’ll apply

To Ottawa for some bread.

The taxpayer should be glad

To see me housed and fed.

I’m the nation’s greatest gift,

An artist through and through!

I won’t wash dishes or dig ditches,

I must my dream pursue!

Some Philistines remind me,

Famous artists had it rough.

They never got a dollar

From the public trough.

They created masterworks,

Despite benign neglect.

Sponsored by the government,

They would have turned out dreck!

So tell me, what am I to do?

Should I starve and reach for fame,

Or take a handout from the feds,

And give up hope of high acclaim?