An Artist's Freedom

The other day I was reading a poem I'd written years ago...that listed many situations in life...where "political correctness"
did not come to my aid. Among the examples listed...was being sleepless at three in the morning...and having to find some way of enduring through it...without people who you marched or sang in solidarity with...coming to your rescue. The over-all
point of the poem was that so much of life happens...without the benefit...or sometimes...imprisonment of political
correctness. Years ago...I made a song album that was hard edged and touched on different areas of people being oppressed. This album was embraced by a lot of "progressive" people. A year or two later...I made an album about human
beings...in general...and not specifically tied to the causes represented on the previous album. One of the "progressives" who
had applauded the hard edged album...was critical of my gentler songs in the follow-up record. He...not being an
artist himself...did not realize...that I was not a propagandist...doomed to write about the same slice of being human...
predictably...over and over again...and that I was simply following the nudges of my authentic self...to probe as many aspects
of being human...in my work as an artist...outside of past or present prisons...even the one of always having to be
"politically correct"...while I left the larger story of what it is to be human...alone............................Quester.