I’m leery coming back. I went to the grocery store yesterday and felt lost. Where the hell did all those people come from?! And cars?! And crap?! Staring at 5 kinds of hummus and 8 kinds of tortilla chips and hundreds of cases of beer. On the river you have a couple choices and she’ll let you know if you pick the wrong one.
My ass doesn’t hurt, my joints active, my arms and face bronzed. And now I’m back on a hard seat all day in a monotone building, the scabs on my fingers red with healing. I’m not sure about all this. This is the real world, huh? Tell that to the coyotes, eagles, otters. They’d think we were crazy. So do I.

—-

Before I launched I got word that 4 poems have been accepted to “Menacing Hedge” the winter edition. I’m nervous and insanely excited and scared and WELL IT’S ABOUT DAMN TIME oh god, maybe it’s not – but the edition will be live January 1, 2011 and I get to do audio and submit something from my “misty past” for their “Scary Bush” edition, so I get to dig through the worst of my worst and be proud to make fun of myself and see where I’ve come. Poets need to laugh at themselves more. It’s comforting to know we all started in a swamp.


Comments

6 responses to “coming up for air”

  1. I am certainly glad that nothing in your misty past includes anything regarding your relatives that would qualify for a “Scary Bush” edition. I know that you have forgotten all about the Rocky Road Incident. The less said, the better.

    1. I HAVE forgotten about the Rocky Road Incident…
      maybe some key words will filter through all the memories I have filed away OR perhaps this is a memory I don’t want to remember, so let me know if I should just stay away. I have a feeling I was tricked though…Did you feed me low fat ice cream?

  2. Congrats on your publications! That’s fantastic!

    1. Thank you!!!! I can’t wait!!!

  3. Rachel, That is wonderful news. Congratulations. Will you be doing the poem with you singing in the middle? I love that one and your beautiful voice. Mmm, the misty past…there are days when it at least feels that’s about the only thing I do write…and it gets mistier as time goes on. So excited for you. Hooray! xo

    1. no, not that poem – although I wish it was – that one is more spoken than not because of the singing part. It is still searching for a home!
      They are accepting 4 and I’ve been getting the audio and shuffling through the worst of my worst from the teen years. I have a few runners up. Man, I thought those were so good, too, when I was that age. Scary. Makes me wonder what I’ll think of the work I’m doing now in another 13 years – eeek!
      Thank you!!! I’m so excited!!

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