I learned a long time ago - I think I was five or six and was walking alone around the corner in Brooklyn to watch the people leaving the subway station - that popularity means very little.

Now, I can't say this was the exact thought I was thinking at that moment, but it eventually led to it. My forays to the station made me see the diversity in people. That we're different but we all do similar things. And most people really like the comfort of similar things.

I think this is why some writers are very popular and some singers sell more than others and why there are tens of millions of white and black cars on the road.

Personally, I don't care for similar. I prefer words that scratch and claw to get understood rather than those that fit right in. I like poems that push me towards pain and discomfort, not to hurt me but to appreciate the beauty in life.

I like women that cuss and fight to be heard, not because they feel the need to be like men, but because they understand the real value of being who they are.

I'm not sure that the "leading" writers are doing all that much leading in actual fact.

Thanks for writing this.