ART/IST

they say separate the art from the artist,

sever the life from the words.

michael jackson has been accused of

assaulting young boys

but we jam to his songs anyway,

dancing to thriller like it's the national anthem,

playing it on repeat every halloween.

they say separate the art from the artist,

but should we really?

how much suffering are we willing to tolerate

in the name of art?

should we forgive and forget?

is it okay to be horrible

as long as you leave something beautiful behind?

i’m not sure i want to separate the

art from the artist

put a line in the middle of the word,

to chop it up and shred it.

i think artists should be responsible for their fallacies

and that their attitudes often infect their art

to the point that a canvas can be a disease,

waiting for people to see it and spread it

until it’s infected everyone.