Today while searching the Internet to find new ways to add stress and grief to my life, I was thinking about my daughter Rita. yesterday I promised to take her bike riding today, and of course it rained all day, I was held up at my daily self imposed chores while she is at the sitter's and I know she is staring out the window, cursing the fates that brought the rain. children have a habit of feeling rejected by anything if they don't get their way. I looked through my computer looking at some of my work and I was looking for a specific piece that I wrote some time ago, I prepped it for some plans I had when I came across a poetry web site that was accepting submissions. I thought again of my darling child, who is standing at the left and thought "would she want me to send this poem or one of my more recent works that was far better as it came naturally to me without needing "Preparation"-". So I followed my heart, and If it gets published I will owe all my joy to my little angry Princess.
I submitted some of my work to Poetry Magazine / The Poetry Foundation (http://www.poetryfoundation.org/index.html) and I am in hopes that they will accept and publish it. I have written and submitted works before, some accepted and some horribly dismissed. I have often wondered why put myself through the agony or crafting my words to paper and then shipping it off like a child to a far away school, hoping that it would be accepted and allow to flourish.
I feel that writers often prepare themselves for rejection, trying to tell themselves that it's just one publisher's opinion or one person out of the many who could possibly appreciate the work. I have in the passed submitted work and then forced myself to forget about it, but in the back of my mind hoping that I get an acceptance letter, only to get a "Dear Sir".... sort of like a "Dear John", or in my case "Dear Joe". I find it interesting that a grown man such as myself, who loves the pen and what it can do, often fears it as well.
I hope that..............( I say "I Hope" a bit too much) - quick re-phrase- I believe that my work should do well, and if not this time with this publication, then another may find it appealing, nothing ventured - nothing gained.I believe in my work, I feel that it has merit and would be appreciated, so I will believe in it until I don't anymore, and then I find the faith to believe in some of my other wonderfully endearing qualities. ( Shameless, Self-Indulgent Plug)
In case you are curious, I submitted "Evermore" the love poem I wrote about and dedicated to my wife Yekaterina.
On to my next act of senseless rambling....
Joseph,
ReplyDeleteA very apt title for a poet! And some fine lines you have here with humor.
For instance, I liked the funny (though sad) part about rejections: 'Dear John, or in my case Dear Joe.'
I hate rejects too, especially the ones that are sharply negative. On the other hand, isn't it a glorious day when we receive an editor's note of acceptance and praise?
Here's a humorous poem by me about the rejections I've received. It was recently published in Mississippi Crow Magazine:
http://www.mississippicrow.com/
Getting the Slip
Another
Editor’s slip
Pulled success
Out from under me--
But since scientists
Say over 50% of our
Genes inhabit bananas—
I must be the human
Peeling out
--As I slip--
Laughter Pealing,
Tolling time;
Foraging
In my roots, branching out,
Redwooded though fired,
Bristleconedness
Up growing above
Rejections littering
Underneath--
So much compost.
Yes, remember all those rejections are great compost;-) for composing new poems.
I'm amazed that you still manage to get writing done in the midst of all of your other responsibilities. When our three kids were little, I seemed never to get to writing.
But the little rascals are such a miracle and joy in the big picture of life aren't they?
A suggestion to lessen the rejection your daughter feels--maybe take her for a stroll in the rain--singing down the sidewalk;-)
When my daughter and I look back on her childhood, we realize that some of the best times were unexpected, unplanned serendipities, like the time we walked over to the recently flooded river and we found stranded fish in a mud hole. We had no container, but my daughter wanted to save the fish so I put them in my hat and we ran all the way home. My daughter put the fish in her tub and then later in an aquarium; then we had to buy a huge aquarium as they got really big.
No doubt you already do such funny unplanned adventures with your kids. Just seeing your daughter's cute pout photo reminded me of the joys of being a father of kids at that age (as well as the frustrations!)
Peace,
Daniel