there’s a point where being cool
no longer matters
the place where sexy goes to die
there’s a time when it means more
to be sincere
and by sincere, I don’t mean truthful
or accurate
I just mean genuine, unironic
and ugly, rough
disgusting even —
be the way you are
even if you’re a crude assembly
of mismatched parts —
a thing that doesn’t seem to make sense
to anyone but you
see, that’s the thing to love
consistency: uncool
dependability: uncool
predictability: uncool
but that’s the stuff that matters
at the end of the day
it won’t get ooh’s and ah’s
it won’t get you winks
you won’t win popularity contests
or awards
or any of that shit
but you’ll win a few hearts
and that’s pretty damn good
Garbage Notes:
This is probably one of my more straightforward poems. So I think I’ll keep the notes on this fairly simple. It’s okay to not be cool. Actually, it’s not just okay, it’s sometimes very good to not have to worry about impressing people.
Sometimes writers try too hard—they’re going for a certain effect or they’re trying to write like somebody else or emulate a certain style that’s in fashion. At some point, if you’re trying too hard to be sexy, it’s not really sexy at all. It’s forced and it’s stupid.
I think we’re all guilty of it from time to time. It’s good to keep ourselves in check and watch that our egos don’t get the best of us. In the poem I highlight some important things that are not always considered “cool” but that are kind of crucial when it comes to being successful as a creative person. You need to be consistent and dependable. And the most unsexy thing ever: being predictable.
Kurt Vonnegut said the following: “To heck with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.”
I’m sure there are people out there who would disagree with this. But when I’m reading I always prefer clarity and predictability over obfuscation and cheap surprise.
So don’t worry—be your ugly old self. Be genuine. Be unironic. Be crude, rough, and sincere. Be disgusting if you have to be. It’s okay to be unpopular. And it’s a good thing to be uncool.
Franco Amati 2023
Vonnegut had a habit of telling the reader how the book would end in the first few sentences. But it worked. It sets up a timeline, something for the reader to hold onto.
Chasing cool is a waste of effort—is what I tell my daughter.
I appreciate your preference of "clarity and predictbility..."
I understood what being uncool was and accepted it for myself ages ago, in elementary even. There was no concern about being most popular or fitting in a clic. It is a bit fascinating to me to see how long it takes for other people to stop trying hard to be cool or how long it takes for them to feel comfortable with themselves. Some folks never really stop trying.