My poem, “IImmigration,” was recently published at Nightingale & Sparrow. I am grateful to the editors for taking this piece.
O at the Edges
Musings on poetry, language, perception, numbers, food, and anything else that slips through the cracks.
My poem, “IImmigration,” was recently published at Nightingale & Sparrow. I am grateful to the editors for taking this piece.
O at the Edges 
Oh, I really like this, Bob! Masterful, how you plunk us into the middle of a life, a scene and leave us wondering, thinking – the title bearing the poem’s weight, the lines themselves simple and subtle… congrats, I’m glad to see this one out in the world!
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Thanks, Lynne. I like to leave readers sufficient space to participate. Another journal asked me to revise the poem, to add more detail—who the boy was, why he was there, who the narrator was, etc.—but I declined, as doing so would have made it a different poem, one straying far away from the original. Ah, the life of a poet!
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Those revisions would have spoilt it completely. Poems need space for the reader.
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Exactly! When I was young, I might have followed the suggestions just to get published. But at this stage of my poetic life, I’d rather stick to my sense of aesthetics. 🙃
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Always be true to yourself!
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It’s the only way!
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Good call! I love your ethics! And this is something I’ve struggled with, walking the line between saying too much and too little. This poem is a great example of that balance.
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An earlier version was rejected umpteen times, so I revised it (added a few lines) and it was then taken. That balance is hard to find!
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It sure is! But obviously persistence pays off!😊
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I am the king of rejections, this I’ve learned about persistence. 😄
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Well that’s just what i needed to hear, Bob! If you can get through them, then so can i (especially when they come in waves lol)
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It seems that my best poems collect the most rejections, while the “meh” pieces get snatched up. I’ve never been able to figure it out.
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Now that i think about it, the few poems that won contests or placed, coming close, all went through a zillion drafts after many rejections ie a lot of work! And some of the ones quickly published are ones I might not include in a future book. I’m glad I’m not alone!😊
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We’re in good company!
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You made the right decision, not revising the poem.
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That editor wanted a completely different poem.
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Sounds like the workshop feedback that makes one want to say, “Then write it yourself!”
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Yep. Just like that.
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Congratulations, Bob!
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Thank you, Merril.
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congrats
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Thanks very much!
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Congratulations Robert and well deserved. Such a beautiful piece and love the imagery used with your words describing nature. “The hill slumped” .. brilliant💕
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Thank you very much, Cindy.
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“I sharpen my knives and think of cold beer…” Nice.
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Thank you!
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Congratulations, Robert.
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Thanks, Andrew.
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You’re welcome.
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Congratulations, Bob!
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Thank you, Liz.
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You’re welcome, Bob.
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The mystery of it is what makes it linger in the mind. Congratulations! (K)
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I enjoy a little mystery.
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Congratulations on the publication of this beautifully evocative piece
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Thanks very much, Derrick.
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Lots of room between your lines for connecting/reflecting. I’m drawn to “finding home where no one knows me” … yet I suspect that tired cloud DOES know me.
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I think I do most of my living between the lines. 🤔
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Congratulations! Such a lovely poem.
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Thank you very much, Julie.
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Another reader who likes the seasoning of mystery in this one. As you are aware: there’s power in giving the reader something that connects them with the words, and yet not over determining the poem.
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I prefer being offered the space to let my imagination roam.
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I look forward to being haunted by this all day… Congratulations, Bob!
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Thanks, SJ. High praise, indeed!
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Good. Good thing you’ve written. Thanks.
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Thank you!
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You’re in Indy, I’m in Indy, is there a means by which I could shake your hand in person? I appreciate your work, very much.
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Yes! Let’s get together. I’ve emailed you at the address linked to your blog.
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Received and responded! Thank you, sir.
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