What didn't make it (the storm pt 2)

What didn't make it was my piece "Green Bay." Both poems that I submitted were originally part of a longer poem (one of my few over a page) of place-names. The editors of Verse Wisconsin shared with me that it felt like the start of a good poem. After reading it again in isolation, I'm beginning to agree. I'll let you read it and decide.

“Green Bay”

The bay looms large, chewing pulp along the Fox

And wafting exhaust, obscuring the lake.

The steam glows at night, mangling factory lights

Acting backdrop to the spot lit bell towers

That gleam daytime against the twilight plumes.

Along the horizon, town lights lurk

Reminders of places that trip my tongue.

Their sounds so familiar and removed.

Intoxicating.

The Storm

An impressive supercell rolled across Wisconsin last night, lighting up the sky and causing some considerable damage. Worse yet, the giddy meteorologist announced that Northeastern Wisconsin residents could experience snow in a wintry mix this Sunday. This summer looks like it may be rough.

Fortunately, reports from family around the area seem to show no serious damage and no injuries sustained by kin. I worried when finding a swath of US-41 closed off through Neenah on my drive home last night.

This morning I found an e-mail from Sarah Busse, co-editor of Verse Wisconsin, sitting in my inbox informing me that one of my poems, "Seymour", has found a home in the November online issue of VW. I also have one poem awaiting publication in a print edition of Verse Wisconsin and one poem online at VW's Main Street Wisconsin, a revolving online issue inspired by the Budget Repair Bill protests. They've been wonderful to work with - I've always received some amount of feedback.