the workers of poetry

the paper today ran this ap this story about computer programmers and poetry. the author of the piece seemed surprised that poets could also be programmers and vice versa. i'm nonplussed. the jobs of poets are many and varied. the work of poets is reading/writing. as for me i was happy to read this article as i don't think science, math and creative work, like writing, are incompatible in the least. when i read the bio notes on the flyleaf of a book or website or journal i prefer to read about that writer's wonderfully varied lines of work. the kind of work that is done to support the family, pay the mortgage, afford the broadband, buy books and get the beer. writing supports the soul, not the wallet. another cool thing about the article is how it underscores the need for the humanities in our age, in every age really, when so many universities are cutting back or eliminating humanities courses and programs due to budget cuts. contemporary thinking in the marketplace of ideas nowadays is how to translate a degree into profits. humanities, art and literature seem to have no place in this marketplace. how can one make money thru poetry?! the poet is asked. you don't. you get a job to feed the obsessions. but one can take the skills, critical thinking and writing and reading skills, and apply them to any task. we live in a post-industrial age. poetry can help us navigate thru these days.