1. Something New
I think all day about stolen art.
No idea is new. There is something comforting
About that fact, how every idea I've ever had
Someone has had before me,
And how someone’s great grandchild will have
The same idea to write a poem about stolen art.
I remember a day, in high school
My teacher said that every idea you've ever put into ink,
Onto paper, put out into the world,
Is yours; the copyright is your own will
To produce ideas and share them with the world
And no one can take that from you.
But we are not originals. The beauty of art
Is stealing the same idea
Just frequently enough that everyone knows—
Everyone knows the story, knows the way it goes:
The prince saves the princess.
That New York skyline is not new
But it may be the only New York skyline
Someone will ever see.
And that is beautiful.