Snorting

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A stormy day at the beach with an airplane looking as if it was landing to the left when in reality is it coming in sideways to land far to the right. Rain due tomorrow again tho my bellwether ankle isn’t telling me this. 2010.

Yesterday and Today Himself: Struggled all day with new software that wouldn’t load. Finally angry and tired, he came to bed to watch the finale of “Project Runway Season 8.” Herself: with the quilt blog too: Got to the Discovery Shop early to discover the books selling well. There was a new crew in the back room who didn’t know me, but they put up with me in their space well. I filled up the shelves to come home to read, apply for awards, and eat way too much and become a (TMI) alternative source of energy. It was bad. The Project Runway winner should have been Mondo, G and I felt. His work was stronger, more dramatic, and he took more chances. My Babylonian Captivity: Do stop in and read Tugster's experience as a human shield. He writes that, “ i was captured in kuwait (where i was teaching in the kuwaiti air force)….” Tonight for Halloween: We are going to a meeting where a friend is taking a seven year cake. I worked with this lady at the Charger games, and I am so proud of her. Afterwords, we are off to the wilds of the back country to a party. G’s going as a lampshade drunk, and I am going as a cat. We can do this and be social.

I spent most of my day aimlessly yesterday. Although the argument that stocking the book shelves at the store is not aimless, or even reading Palin’s Python years journals is not an aimless activity either. Only later in the afternoon did It strike me that there will be other poetry contests to enter.

Listed in The Poetry Society of America’s individual awards is one that seems tailor made for me.

• “Robert H. Winner Memorial Award. Established by the family and friends of Robert H. Winner, whose first book of poems appeared when he was almost fifty years old. This award acknowledges original work being done in mid-career by a poet who has not had substantial recognition, and is open to poets over forty who have published no more than one book. Send a brief but cohesive manuscript of 10 poems (up to 20 pages). Please include year of birth on cover page. Previously published work may be included in your submission; include acknowledgment of publications on your cover page. Poems entered as part of a Winner manuscript may be entered individually in other PSA contests, but NOT if they are previously published.”

Preparing these ten poems for submission is more work than I had considered. The technicalities interest me because I kept thinking of how hard this must have been to package up in the pre-computer days. I could use the same cover letter for each of the ten poems, but it must be altered so it is personalized for each poem. But what if I were eighty and could not type? What if I were sixty five and had no computer or access to one?

Most of my work has a single theme now that I am not twenty any more. Tho my poet friend Kennette tells me that this poetry society is very political, I wanted to submit to a good organization at the beginning of this long road of submissions. She commented that reading the society’s guidelines is most important. Each magazine or publisher usually suggests a limit on words or a topic that you must stick too.

I keep thinking that most of my work is too simple, and though there is depth they are also very short. Almost ditties. Some have a little more in the way of content, and many end with a light laugh or snort. Who knows if a snort will catch the attention of the judges in poetryland.