Wonderful light little pieces of white
Falling gently from the skies
Dancing spritely on your face and
Putting a sparkle into your eyes.
Fiery silvery glitter from high
Shaping into a frozen sea
Brightening the sleeping world
And glistening upon a tree.
I was eight years old. I had written quite a few poems by then, but most weren't collected or saved. My first poem was written in kindergarten for my mother.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, Mom and Dad asked me to write a poem for a children's poetry contest they had found. I wrote 'Snow' and they sent it to the competition. About six weeks later, I received a letter in the mail. My poem had been chosen for publication!
And, like all the other contestants who weren't first, second, or third place winners, I could purchase a copy of the book including my poetry for only $39.95, plus taxes, postage, and handling fees. In the end, counting the entrance fee, they would have had to spend more than $50 - which is how much the first prize winners won. It was $50 we didn't have then.
That was my first poetry scam. Poetry scams are so common nowadays that you have to really do some research to find competitions that are not scams. If the poet has to pay -anything- to see her work published, it's most likely a con game. There are so many people who want to publish their poetry that the scams outnumber the real contests by a huge number.
Technically, I suppose that this poem was published, but I never saw the book and wouldn't know how to find a copy anymore. Nor do I really care. This poem is useful for seeing where I began, but it is just a child's poem.
The first I have (though not the first I wrote) was written at age 11. It's a haiku I called 'Wind'.
ReplyDeleteWind blows through my hair,
freezing my hands and my face.
Through the winds, leaves race.
I used to enter those contests too. Never bought a book. Gave up on poetry contests as a teen.
I like your 'just a child's poem'. Much better than my beginnings.
I disagree. Your haiku has more depth to it than my poem does. You had an instinctive understanding of the form, and a clear voice. Haiku is not easy to do well, and your first try was better than many masters.
ReplyDelete