Pulp
                    Diction
                    
Robert
                    Hazelton
                  
                
              
              

                

                  

                    

                    
Not
                    Quite Right
                    
Bob
                    Church
                  
                
              
              

                

                  

                    

                    
Whisper
                    Gap
                    
Jo Janoski
                  
                
              
              

                

                  

                    

                    
From
                    The Attic
                    
T. Owen
                    Stark
                  
                
              
              

                

                  

                    
Cheshire Cat
                    
Chronicles
                    
Rusty
                    Arquette
                  
                
              
              

                

                  

                    
Nothin' Better
                    
To
                    Do
                    
Billy
                    Jones
                  
                
              
              

                

                  


                  
Leftovers
                  Dan Beams
                
              
 
              

                

                  

                    
Songs
                    of
                    
the
                    Soul
                    
Harry
                    Furness
                  
                
              
              

                

                  

                    

                    
Shirley
                    Allard
                    
Publisher
                    
Editor
                  
                
              
            

            
 

            
 

            
 

            
 

            
 


            
Nothin' Better To
            Do

            A monthly column of verse,
            musings and observations

            by Billy Jones.


            
 


            
Sometimes You Have
            To Let Go


            
 

            
Like
            many writers and artists I struggle to get by. In June of 2006
            I took the plunge, quit my day job and decided to follow my dreams.
            It wasn't the first time but with luck it will be the last.

            
I know you've tired of the "struggling
            artists" who sell out to corporate America and complain
            about not being able to "make it" as an artist, I'm
            tired of them too. But even though they have their place in the
            grand scheme of things I'm not one of them. Fact is: I was never
            offered the chance to sell out so I couldn't be one of them if
            I wanted.

            
It's not that they're bad people or that
            there is anything wrong with what they're doing. They're not
            bad people and there isn't anything wrong with what they're doing,
            they're just not like me and it took me the longest time to figure
            that out. And some days I have to be reminded.

            
I used to blame my artistic failings on
            those "struggling artists" who refuse to let go and
            jump. I can now tell you from experience that when you look back
            up at the plane and everyone else is still looking out the door
            you may well have mistimed your jump.



            Once upon a time, long ago, I was in a band that broke up on
            the very same night we were supposed to sign a recording contract.
            I've been years recovering from the loss and blamed my band mates
            when in fact the mistake was mine. Yeah, I was right on every
            instance but so what? Being right doesn't make it so, being right
            isn't even important anymore.

            
I guess it's my nature to rush in where
            fools fear to tread and I guess that makes me less than a fool.
            Or does it?

            
Anyway, rather than lamenting my failings
            or going on about what has gone wrong with my life I thought
            I'd leave the readers of WordCatalyst Magazine with a verse.
            Feel free to read it aloud.

            
What If

            
What if my plans all fall apart?

            What if I fall-- again?

            What if there's no one to catch me-- like before?

            And what if... what if

            no one cares?

            
 

            
Billy Jones is a poet, author
            and aspiring entrepreneur who writes BloggingPoet.com and is
            a managing partner of Blogsboro.com, an enterprise dedicated
            to highlighting creativity online.

            
For more from Billy visit his
            columns: February,
            January, December,
            November, and October; or his online
            home.