Within the time span of one week, I sat at the Chaparral Contest where they announced winners and NONE of my 5 poems submitted won anything, not even an honorable mention. BUT THEN this week yesterday I found out I had won Best of Show, and 1st place-$100 for the Poetry and Art show at Mesquite Fine Arts Gallery in nearby Nevada for two different poems Returning and flashback.
The next day I got notified that one of my poems Zion's Dance and a photo I took of a blue mountain sunset shadows entitled Layers of Solitude was accepted into Dixie State University's "Southern Quill" literary magazine. WHAT A TRIP from despair and doubt to elation and celebration. But that's life!
Sure glad that everyone can be a winner in this life as they deal with their individualized problems and challenges. I'm all for WIN/WIN and not competion. So why do I enter contests? To push myself to edit and refine my poems, improve them to be the best they can. Then it's all up to the judge and they vary. Sometimes your poems find the right judge and you are lucky. For the art and poetry show, the poet enters several poems then local artists choose one that inspires them to want to create something. They are judged together.
Later after the awards ceremony at the end of this month and on May 1st, I'll share my poems here. Until then I'm elated and happy.