Rejection

Well, it's a good thing I had low expectations of being accepted for publication when I made my very first ever poetry submission to a publisher.  I sent two poems in to Poetry Quarterly, Smoke and Newsreel.
They gave no reason or comment as to why the rejected these two works.  However, I am not feeling down.  I know that I enjoy writing when I get the chance and that others find enjoyment in my word combinations.  This is enough for me.  Publication is a dream that may yet come true if I work hard and keep trying.

Reposting both submitted poems here now.  Hopefully you will find some value in them.

Smoke

Revision November 7, 2010

Kimberly L. McClune

Clinging to the air, fluctuating,

Gradient translucence shifts in silent grace.

Amorphous fog, ethereal silk

Drifts away then subtly coils and spins.

Spinning, wispy

Slithering threads bend and twist,

Swirling into dancing clouds.

Stretched and pinched,

Gossamer pinwheels insinuate

Enigmatic spheres.

Stirred by invisible forces,

Unfocused, aimless,

Free and unfettered existence

Finally dissipates into nothingness.

Newsreel

Kimberly L. McClune

January 12, 2011

Memories are the treasured moments on the newsreel of your heart.

They come image by image, feeling by feeling,

Thought by thought.

Even scents, sights, and sounds bring them back.

Turn on the newsreel.  Hear the clicking of the film.

Watch it, feel it, hear it, and see it.

Cherished memories are the newsreel of your heart.