There’s a canyon between those who sustain life and those who make it worth living.

The world needs doctors and accountants and teachers and salesmen,

And it needs painters and directors, guitar players, and rappers,

Chefs and dancers.

In truth, the engineer and the lawyer must stick to what works,

the boring formula that produces safety and wealth and enough money to retire in comfort.

The farmer and the train conductor may doodle in the their spare time, or keep a journal jammed with poems,

but they’re lives are on rails, predictable and safe.

But to the poet and the play write, it’s a waste.

And a hobby will never replace a calling,

never satisfy their longing to create and touch that part of God few dare to touch.

I understand the view on both sides of this canyon, and why each see the other with a hint of disdain,

but it doesn’t have to be that way.

We need each other.

Artist and chefs and musicians need patrons and customers and music lovers.

And in turn, the artists, chefs, and musicians need the engineers, truck drivers, and nurses to go to work on Monday.