Derivative

Every time I write anything,
a voice in the back of my mind
in the red velour and gold cord box seat
shouts "Derivative!"
while another says
"Well there's certainly nothing integral about it!"
because apparently my inner critic
is Statler and Waldorf,
and my high school math teacher,
all at once.

But the thing about "derivative"
is that it's only self expression
that gets that label.
Destructive things are negative tropes,
harmful things perpetuate stereotypes,
cruel things need to end;
but love poems and songs about beauty are all
"derivative."
So really, there's no harm in it at all.

Think about it.
If I write a poem about beetles and cars,
or a girl in a bathtub
and someone says
"It's been done,"
that doesn't make me any less unique
or my contributions any less valuable,
or my words any less valid.
It just means I found my own way
to the same conclusions as someone else
and can now share that thought bubble
as equal partners in creativity.

When you and your neighbor end up
unknowingly exploring the same theme,
it just means that theme was worth
the extra effort of exploration.
So of course all great works,
all heartfelt works,
are derivative.
If they weren't, they wouldn't be all that great,
would they?

So next time Statler says "Derivative,"
I'll thank him
and present Waldorf with a calculus textbook.