Steemit

Poetry dates back into our furthest past,
The Celts were the ones who created the bards,
Sat around in shared community,
Poetry was a way of providing unity,
Whilst passing knowledge from mouth to head,
Also symbolically all that meaning,
That was better off said than read!

Now these days poetry still offers explanation,
Despite being the music industries poor relation,
Poets really struggle to earn a living,
It’s really a surprise that more aren’t swimming,
With heads and nose held just above the gutter,
So few royalties, nor money paid,
No matter the strength of the words that they utter.

So I tried making videos on social media with delight,
Striving to preserve my art from sinking into dark, craving light,
But Youtube changed what it claimed it could offer,
Using my art to fill its own stuffed coffers,
But never once paying me any cash,
I put a lot of time in without reward,
My wife obviously thought this was rash!

But one day I was searching for ways to make my name,
Dallying with crypto, playing the blockchain,
When I herd mention something to do with steam,
It made me pause, what on earth could it mean?
And so to find out, I put in my account application,
It seemed to take some considerable time,
But eventually I was accepted, I had verification!

So I started ahead reading Steem’s page,
It certainly wasn’t Victorian, really modern age,
Trying to get my head around how it all worked,
Trying to avoid being called a silly old burke,
And suddenly without any applause,
I had liked something, someone liked me,
Dollars appeared, called Author awards!

Now it took me some considerable time,
So I thought I try explain by using some rhyme,
If someone really is quick and likes what you wrote,
Then most of the money goes to the author with the upvote,
But if you’ve less pity, but still like their ditty,
Then in a quarter hour but less than a half,
Smile and laugh, cos you share the booty, split 50:50.

Now apparently if you delay to appreciate what they say,
So your upvote takes more than 30 minute to display,
Then you enter into finding out an explanation,
As you reward is now all about the term of curation,
Which I must confess I struggled to understand what it means,
For in reality it means not a lot,
Unless your account is full of steem!

But I stand here with my eyes upon a far horizon,
Where the future lays, difficult to grasp where it’s surprising,
And I can see that there are a myriad possibilities,
Within this blockchain environment that has welcomed me,
Who needs to fund the airs of sloppy corporate malice,
Like Facebook and Youtube and Adwords,
When the way to earn is to embrace Steemit’s open chalice.

So put aside all that wasted emotion,
Steemit appears to pay for your engaged devotion,
Why argue when you can simply confer,
Be polite to each other, manners observed,
And where you can earn an income by helping people share,
What a positive environment, like the old days,
Helping people care.

Written by @AndrewCarnegie Easter Monday 2nd April 2018

I'm loving the Steem environment and the community although I suspect I am a hundred years from every truly understanding it all!