competition, greed, desire for fame—
after great beginnings they mostly
write when they don’t want to write, they write to
order, they write for Cadillacs and younger
girls—and to pay off
old wives.

they appear on talk shows, attend parties
with their peers.
most go to Hollywood, they become snipers and
gossips
and have more and more affairs with younger
and younger girls and/or
men.
they write between Hollywood and the parties,
it’s timeclock writing
and in between the panties and/or the
jockstraps
and the cocaine
many of them manage to screw up with the
IRS.

between old wives, new wives, newer and
newer girls (and/or)
all their royalties and residuals—
the hundreds of thousands of
dollars—
are now suddenly
debts.

the writing becomes a useless
spasm
a jerk-off of a once
mighty
gift.

it happens and happens and 
continues to:
the mutilation of talent
the gods seldom
give
but so quickly
take.