Yesterday/Today/Tomorrow

Yesterday: a read/write day. Read some and wrote some. "Finished" a new draft that I'd been stringing along last week. By finished, I mean simply that the poem now has something like a beginning, a middle, and an end, although it isn't narrative. Must now let it rest (like bread dough rising) before I poke and prod at it any more. I also made some major revisions to a piece I've been toying with since the summer. Breakthrough moment, possibly. Some drafts arrive fully formed and need modest shaping...others arrive in broken bits, leaving me to choose between the crazy glue, the twine, or the acetylene torch.

Today: submission day. I've been entirely neglectful of submitting poems this fall. Managed a round of submissions in August, only to realize I'd rushed the process on one whole set of poems. Then, I sent out a few in October. Today, I have two sets of 5 poems. Each set of 5 will go out to 5 simultaneous submission accepting journals. I like the balance in that.

Tomorrow: no post. I'm covering classes for a colleague and getting set to receive papers on Tuesday. Then, the onslaught of final grading begins. Last day of class is Thursday, with finals the next week. Is that speck I see ahead of me a light at the end of the tunnel?