Thanks Kathy and Nat1
It is always nice to know there are some who believe in you when others don't. I know my poetry is a bit out there and strange. I use some weird representations of what I'm really trying to say. Is it poetry or not I guess I shouldn't worry about. After work tonight I went to Barnes and Noble and scanned the books. Funny thing about book stores, it used to inimidate me to see so many great books and wonder if mine will ever find a place upon the shelves. Now it is like home away from home. I can grab a book, loose myself in it and realize I belong here instead of many other places. It is almost spiritual for me I guess. Strange, but true. Of course it isn't better than sex, but it can give the same sense of satisifaction.

Over the years I've sensed rejection like this so it isn't new. maybe as I have gotten older it becomes difficult to swallow, but I take my medicine and realize they will all be proven wrong one day. I've already proven a lot of my criticis wrong already so what is a few more these days huh? He wait let me get a few more cliches in this paragraph! They've only added a few more logs to the fire that burns inside of me to accomplish what I want. But like fire it will temper me to become even better. I know my work needs improvement or otherwise it would glisten off the page like a minted silver dollar. Who knows if that day will ever come, espicially with my poetry, but I will continue with my goals and say the hell with them.

Tonight while the rain splashed down around me, the car wipers scrapping back and forth, and some song blared out from the speakers I realized I'm pretty nuts to keep trying. It would be easy for me to simply throw my hands up and let them know they won, but I won't. In fact I will conspire with my subconscious to have a book written by March. So the hell with pretty much with everything else it is time to put up or shutup. you know me and those cliches, I can't leave them alone!

So with that I struggle onward towards my fight. And I thank you all for cheering me on, but I'm the only one who can step into the ring and take my shots and my blows. It is how I recover from both that will make me into the writer I shall or shall not become, but it is nice to know that after each round there are those standing in my corner to help me continue into the next round!

me