Cherry Blossoms
Some of you may have seen my post on facebook about a poem of mine published on Poetry Super Highway website this past Saturday. The editors put out a call for submissions with a very short time span to deaPoetry Super dline which was only a week away. It happened that a poem I'd written three years ago was sitting quietly in my Documents file.
I have mentioned in this blog more than once that those pieces you've written and had not been able to find a home for might be the perfect fit for a call for submissions someday. I'd written the poem after an extremely moving visit to a small village in the Czech Republic while on a tour of eastern Germany and Prague. As we entered the Czech Republic, our tour guide told us we'd have time to make a stop at Terezin, a small village that had been an internment camp for Jews during WWII. I felt such a presence of something as we arrived. The tour guide had told us some background and personal stories. She suggested we get off the bus and take photos, perhaps walk to the cemetery. Everyone went but me. I could not leave the bus, still feeling the ghosts of those who had been held here so long ago.
The Poetry Super Highway was looking for poems for their issue marking Holocaust Remembrance Day. They selected 71 poems from around the world that dealt with this topic. You can read them here. The list of poets is first, followed by the 71 poems. Mine is titled "The Ghosts of Terezin." Then have a look around the Poetry Super Highway.
When I browsed the website, I noticed the editors featured a Poet of the Week in each issue. The person selected has a photo, bio and some of his/her poetry featured. There is no pay but the exposure is worth something. You can find a detailed page of Submission Guidelines. Look through your files and select a few of your best poems to submit.
Don't be afraid to submit your poems. The worst that can happen is that your work will not be accepted and you won't be the Poet of the Week. But there is always the chance that you will get that wonderful email telling you the good news that your poetry will be featured. Note that they do give a time frame of possibly six months.
Send poems already written or write something new to submit. The photo of the cherry blossoms on today's post might be inspiration for you. I used them because we have had another cold, totally unlike April week-end with temps below freezing at night and barely above during the day. Even had a little snow Saturday night. Spring in this part of Kansas is usually quite lovely. This year, we get teased with a few nice days, then zapped with wintry stuff again. Some other states are digging out form big snowstorms this past few days so I should not complain but I'm longing for greener grass, leaves on trees and glorious spring flowers. Somebody should write a poem about that!
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