Saturday, June 4, 2016

Just Yet

Image of the Day:  The large white swans in a nearby town's pond, sailing about like small white skiffs.


I received my contributor's copies from Zone 3, where I have my poem, "Abandoned Girl is Full of Words" and read a marvelous poem by Alyse Bensel about Plate 18 of Marie Sibylla Merian's .  So I sent her a fan letter via Facebook.  There's also a fabulous poem, "Bone Woman" by Aimee Baker that knocked my socks off.  I really love poetry and finding new poets.


Today I wrote another poem, sent of a packet of poems (coincidentally, three poems about Marie Sibylla Merian) for an anthology, and revised some of my other poems.  No rejections just yet.




Some Glad Morning





One day, something very old
happened again. The green
came back to the branches,
settling like leafy birds
on the highest twigs;
the ground broke open
as dark as coffee beans.


The clouds took up their
positions in the deep stadium
of the sky, gloving the
bright orb of the sun
before they pitched it
over the horizon.


It was as good as ever:
the air was filled
with the scent of lilacs
and cherry blossoms
sounded their long
whistle down the track.
It was some glad morning.





Thursday, June 2, 2016

Keeping Track

Image of the Day:  Buds of the Japanese purple irises, unopened and blade-like.


I'm trying to keep track of things I do (especially in the summer) to keep my poetry in motion, so to speak, on a day to day basis.  I do this in another area of my life, my karate, that helps me keep confident I'm working on my stuff while I learn new things and get tested on it. Otherwise, I'd feel overwhelmed and out of focus. So I'm hoping this makes me accountable to the poetry part of my life. 


Today I wrote in my daily journal, wrote a poem, sent out a book submission, a chapbook submission, and poetry subs to four journals, and commented (very briefly) on two other poems.  I also revised my poems while submitting.  I need to read some poems, next. Oh and last night, I got rejected from Sugar House Review.


All this is kind of rare for me.  But I am trying to follow Entropy's list of where to submit on a monthly basis. And I'm trying to send out my work to more places, more often.  I feel that I haven't been doing a very good job at that.  Also, I'm following Jac Jemc's blog which is all about where she gets rejected and that has made me feel better.  Other people get rejected all the time, and better writers, so I just need to suck it up. 


Another thing I'd like to be doing is applying for writing residencies, but that whole artist statement and reference part of it makes me hesitant.  But I'm going to set my sights on that in July and work towards getting to one of those.  We'll see how it goes. 




Maybe; maybe not


When I was a child I spoke as a thrush, I
thought as a clod, I understood as a stone,
but when I became a man I put away
plain things for lustrous, yet to this day
squat under hooves for kindness where
fetlocks stream with mud—shall I never
get it clear, down in the soily waters.


Denise Riley

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

My Poetry Today

Image of the Day:  Little red squirrel in my Asian Dogwood tree, squeaking continually. 


I joined another on-line poetry group today, but have not been able to write a poem of the day.  Trying to think of what I want to write about. 


Read some prompts from various books:  Wingbeats and The Daily Poet.  Read some poems from a Crab Orchard Review. 


Got an acceptance to Pittsburgh Poetry Review.  This week, I've gotten rejected from Tahoma Literary Review and Devil's Lake.


Submitted my manuscript to Black Lawrence Press's Open reading period. 


Checked on Duotrope--who's open and who's accepting/rejecting.  Was interested in one press, but bothered by some of their requirements about telling them how I am a poet.  The beginning of the month is always a good time to review what's going on.


Watched my submissions on Submishmash.  Slowly, slowly. 


Feeling that I need to be writing in my daily journal much more often than I am.  Feeling that I need to read much more poetry than I am.  Finding inspiration.






We Return Sparkling
 by Felicia Zamora
       
Spun                this tendency to whirl, tendency to fall
gossamer. Thread what must pull back: my muscle mimics
your muscle gorges energy & loves nothing, loves nothing.
Axis of spine, gravity possesses                              imprints
Brief on lungs, vocal cords, belly: a charcoal sketch
against the light                              silhouette wipes
in the turn.        We burn out of & skin another universe
encases this                headache inching outside the head. Our
once watery lungs                      the revolving lure of sea
brine in our nails, ocean of aortic sack—feel us beating: waves.
A sky is a sky is blue veins. We return                sparkling
& out of breath              tethered to gorgeous rules.


Memorize More!

 Image of the Day: Birds in my backyard, scrambling in the rain for seed.  Happy Holidays! I have a poem here at One Art, Hiking Cadillac Mo...