ALGORITHM SUGAR DADDY
It’s not good enough to be an artist You have to be an artist AAAND? It’s not enough to be creative You have to be creative AAAND! You want to make art? TOO BAAAD! Time to give the algorithm another trim Curate your image make it gleam NO WHIPLASH NO WHIPLASH NO HASHTAG? NO FAMOUS! You want to get paid for art? Time to PLAY! THE! GAME! EFF! EFF! EFF! Nobody cares about your “genius” Nobody CARES ABOUT YOUR FEELINGS WE ALL WANT SOMEBODY TO LOVE US EFF! EFF! EFF! This is what you WISHED FOR… EFF! EFF! EFF! THIS IS WHAT YOU LIVE FOR?! EFF! EFF! EFF! If making was enough, we wouldn’t be here. Why the fuck do you want to be here? Repetition without intention, how AVANT GARDE! Do you want to be relevant or MAKE ART? EFF! EFF! EFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I'm trying to grow this garden Into something real, something more Something more I still cry for you Never even knew you touched forever in the best way Couldn've asked for a better parasocial angst Lost a beautiful soul today You were pixels on a screen, but the grief still stains Little comments like confessions in the pouring rain Every replay is a vigil in a fucked-up haze Every clip another life my mind replays And I'm watering the soil with the thoughts I hide Talking to the houseplants just to feel alive If the sun don't show, will they forgive my shame? If the blooms fall off, do I still get my name? I can't smile all the time In fact I've drawn the blinds today I'm sorry to my plants Feel badly 'cause we don't get enough light as it is And I'm trying to grow this garden Grow this garden into something real Something more, something more I can't smile all the time I'm chasing my dreams Oh boy, I'm so ratioed It lifts me higher and makes me feel alone But I'm glued to the stream like a holy rite Praying for a ping, for a little green light If I bloom too slow, will you leave me behind? If I grow too fast, will you change your mind? And I'm potting all my secrets In these cheap ceramic graves Every leaf that falls beside me Is another plan I never made Got a calendar of check-ins, streaks that I can't break Got a face I only borrow for the algorithm's sake I'm a highlight reel in a cluttered room I'm a laugh track under sarcastic doom I can't smile all the time So I let my stories disappear I'm sorry to my friends Left your message sitting, unread for a year And I'm trying to grow this garden Grow this garden into something true Something warm, something new I can't smile on command I’m chasing my dreams Oh boy, I feel hollow Scroll a little higher And pretend I’m not alone Gee whiz, it's Mr. Beat's old daddy Gee whiz, it's Mr. Beat's old daddy Gee whiz, it's Mr. Beat's old daddy Gee whiz, parasocial sugar-daddy Feeding all the hunger through a thumbnail frame Gee whiz, it's the algorithm’s granddaddy Pulling all the puppets by a username And if I close the app, will I still exist? If I skip the stream, is there something that I missed? If I touch the grass, will it notice me back? Can I be a person without keeping track? Oh boy, it's me
