A quick post to say that I just had two poems accepted for a 2007 issue of the publication Wavelengths out of Kentucky. I am happy to be back in print again after a hiatus. One of the poems is a recent creation, and one is rather old, so it is a nice pairing for me.

When one of my newer poems is accepted for print, I feel that things have gone as they should. I write a poem, revise it until I feel satisfied, send it out to a few places, and put it to the test. If it is accepted in about 6 to 9 months, (a) I feel happy that I accurately pinpointed the best publications for its success and (b) I feel the boost of self-confidence that I knew when the poem was good enough to go out. When an older poem is accepted for print, I feel much more emotional about it, as Rudolph may have felt when maturing and finally proving his special red-nosed "worthiness." I am very happy (with a little swell of the heart) that the older poem found a place to stretch out and live on the printed page, that it will reach readers of poetry. I'm never sure why one poem is harder to place than another, but I find that if I keep trying the right kinds of publications, each poem finds a home, and that is one of the best feelings I have as a writer.