When they say that art is political, what they mean is it will take all your energy, all your life, and the outcome is uncertain. In Coming After, Alice Notley says (I'm paraphrasing, and badly) that she now knows that a lot of the best work of any time vanishes, is plowed under by the work of those who promote themselves more capably.

Tikkun olam, right? The good work is to find the good work and keep it alive. It's amazing how simple a task that is, and yet how little anything else comes to mind once you take it up.