Poets and Garrets

What we all know about poetry is, you can't make a living at it...well, at least that is, not the majority of us. What I also know about poetry is, where I come from, many lived in garrets and near starved to death...one whom I knew, did! What is it about a poet that compels him or her to compose in spite of the lack of financial reward? Have they all uttered the Jesuit self denying prayer "teach me, to give and not to count the cost...?" Enough has been written about it and it can add to our understanding of why we do what we do, but don't wallow too long...pick up your voice, engage your mind and let the words flow out! Now, to take you from the Garret to the halls of academia, where you can rub shoulders with the future laureates and hob knob with professors, here is a free course at Yale University that will lead you through world of Modern Poetry at your pace...no examination to take: http://oyc.yale.edu/english/modern-poetry/. I hope it excites you as much as it did me.