finish chapbook...check

Well, I've done it. I picked some poems, put them in order, and decided to call it The Secret Prophecy of Thumbs. Tomorrow morning, it goes in the mail for my very first chapbook contest.

I have this weird feeling--like a sense of accomplishment mixed with fear of forgetting something. Like accidentally turning in the rough draft of a term paper instead of the revision. I can't explain it. I guess it comes from knowing that I've come a long way since I've been working on my MFA, but not quite sure if I'm ready to be calling a group of my poems a chapbook. There are some poems that clearly go together, and some themes threaded through all (or most) of the poems, but I'm not sure they work in a cohesive group just yet. And there are two or three poems that I wanted to include, but they just aren't ready, and won't be before the deadline for this competition.

The good thing is that I can now cross this off my to-do list and focus on other things. I need to write my class plan for next week and start really focusing on my Winter Wheat presentation. I've been thinking about it and planning it in my head, but I have yet to put anything on paper. I can't believe it's just two weeks away! When that's over, it's term paper time, then my first time grading freshmen portfolios, then Christmas break. After that...thesis. Holy cow. There's just not enough time!