I’m excited to have a poem up at GRAVEL. It’s a gentle satire on the submission guidelines poets must wade through when sending work out. Some journals write guidelines as if they were gourmet menus, and the result is that a poet can easily feel that his or her work could never live up to such expectations. This is definitely the way I’ve felt on many occasions.

Incidentally, Steve Klepetar had a poem with the same title and a similar approach at Verse-Virtual in April. Our efforts were completely independent of each other, suggesting that this is something many of us are noticing. Editors, if you’re reading, feel free to tone it down a notch. The amp doesn’t always have to be at 11.

“Submission Guidelines”

We’re seeking original work that sucker punches us
& pilfers our wallets, leads us down
the garden path, slides its uninvited hands
up our thighs on the L train – takes us
by surprise, if you will.  (read more)