Celebrating Rejection

Celebrate the rejections along with the wins. I am celebrating the decline of two poems I submitted for a poetry contest, and am including them here for all to read. Growth and character only emerge from challenges and difficulties. Find your true self amidst the wide expanse and be a light to others.

I entered my first poetry competition and needless to say (see title above)--I did not win. Neither of my two entries won. It was free so I had nothing to lose and everything to gain. The structure however, had to follow an exact format. And it was a frustratingly strict format; see the below and you'll get the idea.

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Your poem must adhere to the following rules:

· Total syllable count of 53

· Eleven total lines

· First three stanzas are three lines each with a 7 / 5 / 3 syllable count

· Final stanza must be two lines with a 5 / 3 syllable count, for a total syllable count of 53

· Rhyme scheme (slant/soft rhymes work) aba cdc efe gg

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I like challenges; they make you stretch and grow. And at some point during the challenge or perhaps even afterwards you view yourself in a different light. Maybe you can do more than you thought possible, maybe you can inspire others, or maybe you become a truer version of who you were meant to be.

Many times we only advertise the good, the winning, the celebrations. But I feel that we should also celebrate the rejections. Do your best and share your progress, your growth. Your value is not solely in the judge(s) hands. There is purpose and meaning in your best efforts even if they are not valued at the time.

So I will celebrate my rejections, I will not hide them from the light of day. They will not deter me but rather spur me on. I hope yours do the same.

Saucered Metamorphosis

Mocha eyes smolder, venti

latte tendrils swirl

Five twenty

my total love unending

oath round third finger

Fires kindling

crackle and pop toys surround

pitter-pattered feet

lost and found

myself, change daily

Four eighty

Stickered Shifts

Crayoned art, antiseptic

witness gurneyed wheels

life, hectic.

Steriled voice: chronic, no cure.

Needles, dolls, and books

Hope, the lure.

Medical alert bracelets

Alarms resound, the

foe, faceless.

Daughter, armor on

Knight not pawn.