Poetry Appreciation

While I was away, Nerve Cowboy #17 arrived, featuring my poem, "Cool." The poem was accepted almost a year ago, and since then I've had more poems rejected than accepted. Normal, I suppose. Even so, poems haven't come easy and I'm in the process of reevaluating my motivation, finding my voice--call it what you will.

I considered myself a fiction writer first, virtually abandoning poetry for five years between high school and grad school. It's ironic, then, that my first print credit was a poem. I caught the bug and now I refuse to view poetry as puff or less important than fiction. I want to juggle both deftly.

One advantage I have is the knowledge that I'll keep at it 'til I get it right.