Debussy
He lived penniless in a garret
(Every genius does at some time
Atonal Music for company)
till he became famous
There was only Gabrielle to fight with
I forget whether later she went away or not
Clair de Lune remains to
show how its silver glow
irradiated her skin
on the nights he had no food
and all he had was music
to dream of and feed himself with
Music to make one forget
the long years of suffering
before one becomes history
Do all geniuses live penniless
in garrets like that?
No, many who do are not geniuses
One has to survive
against all the odds.
Geniuses do indeed starve amid pitiful circumstances not of their own choosing.Diogenes’ seminal point is thereby proven.
Thanks for the comment, Louis!
Many geniuses are known to have starved, lived in matchbox sized rooms, yet have churned out masterpieces -one after the other. With music as fodder, they have kept penury at bay, and hoped on.Great poem.