the a list

Quilts Sewn from what’s on hand, Scraps of love, and comfort, and longing. Each square tethered to the next Like family at the table.  Threaded with tea and troubles. Steeped in unspoken sorrows and sequestered joys. These disembodied fabric versions of ourselves,  Linger over the dreams of our daughters and sons  In forms and memories  we might not always abide. Published in Gravitas Dec 2019

  Impossible The drawers are lined with messages from the dead, Scattered in with the papers, clips, and keys. These messages - Musty whispers and jots,  Receipts and ticket stubs, Fill the drawers, All the drawers, In all the desks,  In all the buildings,  They are needing transmission to the living. When your time comes  To transmit -  Be it grief or joy - Leave a message in the drawer, So the living might know. Published in Superpresent Magazine, Fall 2021  

  Click on the image below or here to read "rock"

 

  Between October of 2023 to April 2024 I've had seven poems accepted by journals. If there is such a thing as a groove, this might be it. I'll share a link when they publish later this spring.  "three hundred" is a a mix of irony, perception, anonymity, and the how we blend with those we love. It is probably the freshest poem that I've had accepted. Many of my poems have been years in the making. It was 9 days old when I got this email surprise. 

My poem "Rock" has been accepted at MORIA Literary Magazine. You'll find the issue here   on May 6th.

 My poem "The Piano" has been published in Cerasus Poetry Magazine .  Its a poem about the challenges of mental health and its impact on my relationship with my mother.  the piano we have the bellies of gum chewing cobras, where guilt and sin metabolize... (click to get your copy)

 You can view my poems Cottony   and Ray Guns and Severity over at CEPHALOPRESS

Can't say I don't enjoy these emails. I'm also glad the poem Cottony found a home. It has been a work in progress for many, many years. And a reminder of the perseverance necessary to get published. .  Since January of 2016, I've made 891 submissions I've written 226 poems that I felt were ready to submit   I've made an average of 127 submissions per year  In those 7 years, 28 poems have been accepted .   About 4 poems per year have been accepted that's a 3% acceptance rate