Poetry & Mommyhood

[BlogMama]

I don't know how it happened, but a zine I've had my eye on, "Chaparral" (http://www.chaparralpoetry.net) took a few poems of mine for their current Autumn/Winter issue.

So obviously that means I submitted my work to them--although I don't remember doing it! Perhaps I was sleep-submitting. In any case, it was a nice surprise and I'm thrilled with much of the company my poems are keeping.

In the past 2 years I've written about 10 new poems, only 3 of which are submission-worthy, 2 of those now published. That leaves me with one "good" poem and a pile of--well, major edits. Since my son has only just started sleeping through the night (he turns 2 tomorrow), I'm hopeful that I'll have more time to write and edit vs. nap when my son naps. I tried the get-up-before-he-does-so-you-can-write thing, but that has me stumbling down the hall to my computer at 4:30a.m., this in addition to the 2 to 3 wakings during the night I experience in order to tend to my restless sleeper. I tried 4:30a.m. maybe twice--enough times to deepen my crow's feet and turn my limbs into cement blocks I didn't do so well at dragging around all day. I tried skipping the nap---THAT was crazy. I tried writing for an hour each evening---but with a bedtime of 10pm, a child who goes down at 8pm and a chatty husband I long to catch up with, 60 minutes often became (becomes) far less.

But, but, but---I sound so excuse-ridden, don't I? But I have to say that one of the nicest gifts I have given myself is some slack in the area of my writing: poems, novels---I shall return. Just saying this to myself, "I shall return", alleviates the stress and panic I usually feel when analyzing my writing habits, or lack thereof. It's like having a bucket of Calgon poured over my head. It soothes. It helps.

I just need a few more zzzzzzzzzz's...

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