Writing Tips for the 21st Century

Don't write about sunsets
Or your heart; delicate things
are way too overdone,
And someone's probably said it better.

Don't write in pencil— what are you, five?
No one wants to listen to the scritch-scratch of your thoughts
And anyway, childhood is a currency
we're all too broke for in this economy.

Don't write about your mother
or the way you were a prodigy at walking tightropes.
We've all been there, done that; your generational trauma
is a depreciating asset in this economy.

Don't write about the war, or the plague, or greed—
or any of the deadly sins, really—
The world will keep turning as it always has
And do your words have power? Not in this economy.

Don't turn your observations into philosophies
Or use metaphors the way a carpenter uses wood
Use paradoxes, but don't— who has the time
to decipher anything in this economy?

Don't use clichés— they're cringe
Or appeal to reason, or rhyme
don't break patterns; you live to entertain
In this economy, you won't stand the test of time.

Don't write about music, or art, or poetry;
Breaking the fourth wall isn't cool anymore
Don't write about— actually, don't write at all
Because who really reads in this economy?

Don't write about things which have been written before
Be original! That's the kind of content that sells
And lastly, when all's said and done, just remember
don't listen, don't obey— go and rebel.