My Poem 'Me, Paul Butters' goes Viral on 'Hello Poetry'

Until just three days ago my most popular poems on the “Hello Poetry” website were 1) “Remember” (15\1\2014) with 3,200 Views and 2=) “Excitement” (22\1\11) and “Great Nephew Jacob…” (2\1\15) at 2,400 Views. But then I posted a new poem called “Me, Paul Butters”. Yesterday I got up at about 4AM just to check my laptop. I was utterly gobsmacked to see it had had about 5,500 Views! Then it became my first “Daily Poem” there, so even more Views (and Comments) piled in. Right now it has had 7,000 Views.

Soon this new poem might challenge my most popular poems of all: “Champion” (25\8\08) on VoicesNet (7,602 V) and “Mirror, Mirror” (10\9\12) on my Blogger Poetry Blog (7,230 V).

Of course, I have no idea why any of these poems went “viral”. IMHO I have written many, much better poems. For the record, my most comprehensive collection of my poems is on “Poemhunter”, which holds 240 poems (including a handful of stories).

Anyway, here is the poem in question:

“Me, Paul Butters”

I’m no author, novelist or poet.

I’m just Me,

And don’t I know it.

I don’t need to be classified,

As long as I’m writing, I’m satisfied.

Typing out words, line by line,

I don’t care if they don’t rhyme.

I don’t care if my verses don’t scan:

I’m not always an Iambic Man.

I just say what I gotta say,

I’m not worried about any pay.

Words come to me without much bidding,

The world of its evils I hope to be ridding.

I love to spread lots and lots of Love,

Bringing peace to all like a messenger dove.

Things of beauty bring joy, John Keats rightly said,

To make us sleep easy when we go to bed.

So I’ll paint what I paint,

And sing what I sing,

Just letting those words

Do their magical thing.

Paul Butters

© PB 13\11\2015 (3).

(I will post the poem on my blogger poetry blog in due course). MMM it is about writing actually. And okay I’m being very honest with it. This all began when I read a lady who wrote that simply putting a novel on self-publishing site CreateSpace does not of itself make you an author. She was quite right of course but I had to think, “I might not want to be an ‘author’!” That set me off on writing the poem. Frustratingly I can’t find that woman or her blog now. If she only knew…

Maybe I’m losing my ego at last and becoming mature. Maybe! Odd thing to do, writing a poem about not writing poetry. That’s Me!

Paul Butters


20\11 PS - 8.8 K now.
24\11 - 9.5 K.
26\11 - 9.7 K.
30\11 - 9.9. Have 110 poems on HP now, apparently! 240 poems on Poemhunter.
2\12 - 10 K. Not bad for a poem about letting go of your ego, ironically.
9\12 - 10.2 K.
13\12 - 10.3.
5\3\16 - 10.7.