I wrote the poem "Ever After" for my second submission to the Royal Palm Beach Forum. I was even surprised it was printed because it almost was not written, much less sent. In any case, it showed up in the paper on Wednesday July 7th. I learned of this later in the morning before I got to class because of an email I got from the VP of our Writing Group:
Good Morning My Friend;
I just had an interesting phone call, a gentleman read your poem in the paper, and he and his wife wished to talk to the author. He wished it explained to him?? Anyway his name is Mr. Man*, [here is] his phone number...Do what you wish with this information. Have a great day
Suffice it to say, I freaked out. It is weird finding out that some stranger - meaning someone unrelated to me, unknown to me - read and wished to inquire about my work. I was in a bubble, I guess, thinking the little local paper didn't get around.
When Mr. Man and I spoke, he was quite enthusiastic about the piece. He said at first he didn't recognize the distinct voices, but after a couple rereads he saw the story unfolding. He wanted clarification: was my intention to describe a same sex or traditional marriage? I intended traditional man-woman union but many readers think same sex for some reason (see the poem and comments).
It was nice to hear from a "fan" and know that my piece stood out enough for him to make the effort to investigate. Little things like this keep me going as a writer. Mr. Man mentioned that it "moved" him and that gave me a natural high.
I just want to provoke thoughts and emotions and start conversations with my work. I don't need more than that. I was ecstatic - and it showed too much in the "quiet zone" of the library so I had to leave...
* Name changed
