After writing a short article on the Liberties of Rejection, published in Refresh Magazine I thought I would take a look at some of my recently rejected works. Each of these poems was not the right fit for where it was submitted and in that I now get to publish it somewhere else. Rejection is something creatives encouter often. Its something we need to befriend. Find out more about how in my article...
Still Life
These grapes, gauche skin
slick and painted, gives way
when bitten, to the turbid green
simple strokes, marbled teeth
render pulp and dry coat peel
Here you sit, presented
caught and calcified, pitch stain
even the shadows stalled
to take in the pungent fruit
before it never rots...
Career goals
It will be when I walk out the office door
for the last time, though we no longer go in
and it will, in the back of my throat, be a scream
a breath, intake and out, all over again
It will make me lighter, feel softening shoulders
tension release, and then build as I walk on
purposefully so, no office chair or zoom call
a break, in some simple way, until regrown
It will have been worth it, crash course in all
the ways I'm not sure I want to be but still
enlightening, in all that I need to become
head high, and bridges intact, I'll happily fuck off.
VW
In husks and hulking carapaces
of ancient beetles
that used to crawl
skitter and shill
round little tracks and grooves;
bloom fruit.
Crack the metal wings
lifting rust and purple hues
to let out creeping vines
let slow blooming brambles
prick through the sides
of a heavy abdomen.
And all the little paths
worn down by tired tread
and stitching hives together
overgrow with grass and bones
and leave no exit signs
but bonnets bursting, growing green.
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Magda is a poet and witch, read more of her work here.
Stay updated with her musings on folklore, science and the things in between by following her instagram: @Xan6ua
About the Creator
Xandua
Poet, witch, messy bitch. Trained biochemist with way too many words.
Website: www.xandua.com Instagram:@Xan6ua
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