The Departing Day

Exciting news that arrived in the mail last night (October 4th, 2006). The Poetry Institute of Canada liked my submission, "Nightmares and Nameless Fears", and is going to include it in their annual anthology, which is to be titled "The Departing Day". I was thrilled to have the poem see publication in any form, to be sure, but when I heard the title of the anthology I couldn't help but say to myself, "What an entirely appropriate title for that poem to make its debut in". My wife surprised me with the news over dinner at a local restaurant, and we each had to read the response letter twice before it sank in.

"The Departing Day" is set to come out in January, 2007, in a "fine quality, hardbound deluxe volume". "Nightmares and Nameless Fears" will be in good company, as the volume will include what is being called the best of today's Canadian poetry - I can't help but feel flustered at the idea of something I wrote being included in that description.

The second piece to be written by me since my return to the writing desk, "Nightmares" has given me not only a sense of true accomplishment, but has revitalized my enthusiasm for pursuing what I've described previously as my personal, preferred style. Work continues on "Skin Deep" with a new sense of energy behind it, though I have begun to suspect that in order to fit the limitations of the magazine submission guidelines that it is intended for, the submitted version of "Skin Deep" will need to be revised into a slimmer, abridged version. Hopefully it, too, will be well received and one day I can look back at "Nightmares and Nameless Fears" and say to myself, "This is where it all began."

Regardless of what else happens from here on in, "Nightmares and Nameless Fears" is going to be something I'll remember fondly for years to come.