Saturday, March 04, 2006

Oh Where Oh Where Has that Sestina-Thing Gone?

I am unsure about leaving poems up for any length of time. I never intend to submit poetry, but inevitably, I end up forgetting my good intentions and doing so anyhow. Because it seems to be considered "previously published" to have appeared on a blog (but not in an internet workshop which deletes after a certain time limit) I'm happier just putting it up for a few days (usually under 3) and then removing it. I seldom post the finished version. This particular sestina underwent major renovation in the last 24 hours or so. I'm almost happy with it, although, truthfully, I'm never really happy with anything. Close enough to consider it "finished", however, and that's an accomplishment. There's not much market for sestina - other than McSweeneys. I've submitted there once before and received back the sweetest rejection letter I've ever gotten. Maybe I'll try them again. I'd like to send them Dan's sestina, as well. He and I used the same end words and each told the respective stories of our first divorces. I love the contrast of the two of them side-by-side - the similarity of the form, the exactness of the identical end words and the screaming differences of the tales and the tellers themselves. How very very versatile the English language is. How absolutely amazing that his world and mine somehow collided. Life is almost as strange as poetry.....and infinately more interesting.

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