Yesterday one and today another most excellent news: I was first published and then featured. Must be magic at work. A little celebration is in order with a poem about a little witch and happy current photos.
Don’t worry about the multitude of links in this post. They are just for those who are curious.
This must be a first: My writing, signed with my real name, was published by a legitimate and unconnected online literary journal. The reason for this may be that this was only my second time submitting something that I’ve written. 😀
Visual Verse, an anthology of art, poetry, short fiction and non-fiction, every month posts a challenging image, invites published and unpublished writers to write a poem or prose piece to it between 50 and 500 words, and then puts about 100 submissions on their website.
And yesterday I saw mine appear. Here it is, entitled The Precondition. And here are all published submissions for this month (new ones will be added throughout April). My real name included on the authors’ list? Looking good!
Thank you so much, Visual Verse editors, and Bojana for encouraging me to give it a try. Oh, and bear in mind that my piece will only make sense if you celebrate the Towel Day.
I was grinning ear to ear already, and then this morning I saw that I’ve been chosen by NaPoWriMo as a featured participant on lucky Day Thirteen! They say about my yesterday’s poem that “the dull/precious thing prompt for Day Twelve gave rise to a sly and supple poem”.
I had a look and it seems that the whole idea and execution of this project stems from the poet Maureen Thorson who “just likes poems and wants to encourage people to write them” (From FAQ). The first thing I read on her website was “I have been sent from the future to tell it like it is”. Oh yes.
I wish to thank Maureen for liking my poem, calling it sly and supple and featuring me, as well as for running this campaign and providing excellent prompts every day, with some help, I should hope. I’m also grateful to everybody who has come to my blog to read my poem. I hope you stick around.
Today’s post also goes for Patrick’s Pic and a Word challenge on the subject of shadow.
Let’s see about that witch now.
Challenge 13: “Today, we’d like to challenge you to write a poem about something mysterious and spooky! Your poem could be about something that is mysterious and spooky in a bad way (like a witch), or mysterious and spooky in a good way (possibly also like a witch? It depends on the witch, I guess!) Or just the everyday, mysterious, spooky quality of being alive.”
Little witch
There is no shadow without darkness,
there is no shadow without light.
She lives on the border between the two.
Where the shadows are.
There is power,
fear,
ease
on the edge.
She moves along it,
making baby steps
in one direction
and then the other.
Darkness pulls,
light wins.
White is natural,
black is omnipotent
and therefore scary.
The first time she is tripping
is also the last time.
She feels so powerful
that she doesn’t know how to walk
without flying off
into the falling snow.
She has men sitting
on the floor before her
telling her secrets,
asking her opinion,
crying.
She steps back into the shadow
towards the white light
and writes from there.
Her pen is at the ready
and so is her pan
in case a monster enters her shadowlands
in need of a good thrashing.
Some say:
“Go into the dark.
Write out of anger.
Explore the negative.”
She says:
“You have no idea
what you’re asking for.”
Here is what my daily walks look like. Easy to opt for light in Italy.
In response to Patrick Jennings’ Pic and a Word Challenge #182: Shadow
and for Day 13 of NaPoWriMo
Congrats again. So well-deserved.
What I love about VV is they give you a chance to play around, which isn’t usually the case. Most journals want gloomy stuff.
I absolutely love your piece, which should be an encouragement to submit more in the future.
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Oh, thank you, Bojana. I feel very light right now. 🙂 That’s true – you have all the options to play there. I don’t like gloomy. :p Especially if it’s prompted and expected. Well, I have a plan to submit more and more. 🙂 Thanks for all the encouraging words.
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Can’t wait, and you’re very welcome.
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Congrats, Manja! Well-deserved.
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Thank you so much, Donna! ❤
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I’m so excited for you! I told you you were a poet! Congrats all around. 🎉😘🌟
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Ahhh, Charlotte, you did! ❤ Already last year, remember? You mentioned me in a poem of yours and I was beyond happy. Will search it out again. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
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Hugs and love to you, crazy dear girl!
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I found your last year’s photo and commented again but my comment disappeared (in spam?). Here’s what I said:
❤ Found it. As I said last year on my blog when I thanked you: "Blown away by the better written." So lovely to read this again. Thank you once again. It's a thing like this that keeps one going.
Here it is for the curious: https://zouxzoux.wordpress.com/2018/04/26/inspired-by-poets/
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Congratulations! That was a nice read. I think you did well
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Thank you so much, Dan! 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed it.
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Congratulations! That picture to prompt your writing is truly bizarre! How interesting though. I am so happy for you! 😀
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Thank you, Joey! Are you tempted? 😉 This picture must have to do with one of your sports. I was so clueless that I took a different approach. 😀
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American football. Yeah. No, I don’t have time to write anything of substance lately. (Unless it’s at work.)
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Well, I’m doing giant big cheers from here to you! Super wow !!! And, yes, you’re a beautiful writer, I always have known it, and I’m happy your words have been recognized !
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Oh, Claudia, thank you! Nice of you to join me for the celebration. I hope you like a nice glass of red. 😉 Cin cin!
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Congrats on the well-deserved publishing and again on the feature.
I’ve admired your work, but I think this may be my favorite poem from you. The opening two lines are rock-solid, and you ride that tension throughout.
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Thank you so much, Barry! 🙂 I’m especially glad that you like this poem. I’m quite fond of it myself. 😀
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Congratulations on having your poems published and highlighted by others.
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Thank you kindly, Ali! Always welcome!
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Congrats! Well-deserved!
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Thank you very much, Amy! 🙂
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Excellent poem today–those last 3 lines are the best– and Congratulations again! You deserve to be recognized!!
And what a great seagull too! (K)
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Thank you so much for saying so, K. 🙂 I like this finish myself. People are strange. 😉
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Yes they are.
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Wonderful news.
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Thank you kindly, Sherry. 🙂
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Yay! Congratulations and a bounty of kudos. =)
<smile> I find the darkness is always a great inspiration for insight… particularly when I can find the light there. 😉
Lovely work; well deserved recognition.
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Thank you so much, Patrick! 🙂 Who searches for the light will find it everywhere, right? Just recently I discovered by chance that your birthday is one day after mine. Hehe. So we know. (I don’t follow or consult or believe in much of that, but the birds of a feather…)
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Congratulations!
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Thank you kindly, Punam! 🙂
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You are welcome. 🙂
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Ohhhh this poem is wonderful, wonderful. The men on the floor crying, the monster needing a thrashing, the ending:
“Some say:
“Go into the dark.
Write out of anger.
Explore the negative.”
She says:
“You have no idea
what you’re asking for.” ”
That is special. Love it ❤
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