done anything
for the first time?
Can you strike an unheard
chord on an even-
tempered keyboard,
or hit a fresh
vein in a tapped-
out mine?
I say: imitation
is not flattery but
mandatory;
iteration, less theft
than emphasis—a frictionless
way to underline.
I say:
those whose ambition
is "make it again"
may yet build ships
to Byzantium
out of repetition,
but those who admonish
"make it new"
are just as sure
to lose next month's
rent check to
fantasy football.
I say: to plagiarize your
soul's last will
without a single citation;
to rebroadcast thoughts
in syndication
without getting caught;
to mix quotes of the Greats
without the need to pay
their estates a dime—
perhaps that
is art's one and
only perfect crime.
