rule of ten

The Rule of Ten

38

there is a mysterious rule
that governs so much
of our life.

The rule of ten.

It goes like this
For every 100 people
Who wants to write a novel
Ten will finish it/

Of those ten
Ten percent
will publish it.

Of those ten
Ten percent
will make some money.

Of those ten
Ten percent
will make a living.

Of those ten
Ten percent
will be a best-seller.

In other words,
In a land of 350 million people
There are probably only 3, 500
bestselling authors.

the rule of ten applies
to the drama world,
only 1 percent make a living.
full-time as an actor.

of the thousands of actors
only a few movie stars.

to the music world
of the thousands of musicians,
only a few superstars.
to sports only a few hundred NFL players.
to politics only one president.

but one should not give up
because who knows
you could be the one

who wins in the end,
despite the rule of ten.