Poetry Friday: Some Rejected Food Poems

I've been trying to submit my poetry to different publications each month. It builds my exposure and also builds my resilence, as none have been accepted yet. I try to keep in mind that poetry is an art and is very, very subjective. It is easier to remember on some days than others. In the meantime, I keep experimenting, churing ideas around, and working on my craft. I'm also trying to finish the novel I started in November during NaNoWriMo.   

A huge stride was made while on vacation as I identified myself as a writer to someone I just met. In addition, I've been in contact with the librarian who is organizing a poetry reading in April.  I participated in a reading last May, so my feet got wet. I'm hoping to grow by participating in another. I know that there'll be a few things I'll do differently to prepare.

Fair Food

Popcorn,
Peanuts,
Funnel cakes, too!

When I am at the fair
I can’t pick just one,
Can you?

All my favorites are here,
Around the midway we go,
Seeing all the treats in one long row.

Fudge,
Candied apples,
Corn dogs, too.

When I’m at the fair,
I can’t pick just one,
Can you?

We’ve reached the end,
What did you pick?
For me, one of each
Did the trick! 

On our way home,
From eating fair food
Because our tummies are full,
We’re in a great mood! 

© Draft, Carol Labuzzetta, 2023
Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay 

Pumpkins are one of my favorite things to use to teach young students about plant life cycles. They go from seed to seed in one growing cycle, the very definition of an annual plant. Most young students have been exposed to pumpkins or even grew some themselves, starting with a seed, and knowing they’ll find seeds inside when they cut the fruit for jack o’lanterns in the fall.

Pumpkins

Pumpkins are edible,

From flowers to seed

We see so many

A fall fruit made to feed.

Growing in our gardens

From Spring through Fall

The bright orange color

Tells us they’re ready for all.

All kinds of great food,

From muffins to pie,

Come from this humble squash

For you and I.

© Carol Labuzzetta, 2023.

Homemade poster I used to teach seeds and plant life cycles using pumpkins. © Carol Labuzzetta, 2009. No permission to duplicate.

I took the rejection of this last group (there was one more food poem) of poems less hard than I have in the past. Perhaps I’m getting used to it! All I know is that if you don’t try, you’ll never succeed, so onward!

Today is Poetry Friday. Molly at Nix the Comfort Zone is our host for this week’s round-up! Be sure to check out her page for links to more inspired poetry and her own post about trees in winter! Thanks for hosting, Molly!

22 thoughts

  1. Oh, I pick ALL the fair foods, too! Good luck with the submissions. At the moment, I have only one out, but need to get some more going. Someone told me that she doesn’t “retire” a poem until after it receives 30 rejections. That’s a lot of submissions!

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  3. Nice pumpkin posters!
    Congrats on getting a thicker skin and maintaining your momentum! There are so many lessons to learn when writing, and those are important ones.

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  4. Carol, I can see your pumpkin poem and poster as a classroom lesson. Maybe you can find a classroom that would be interested in your poems in the meantime. I like the idea of looking into a library for a poetry reading. Best of luck, Carol.

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    1. Hi, Carol! The posters were used many, many times for classroom lessons and I can say that the children enjoyed them. I really enjoyed teaching the lesson as well – one of my favorites. The poetry reading is set at a library – the nice part of this one is that I didn’t have to ask to do it – they asked me! 🙂 Got to love those State poetry organizations!

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  5. Yummy…Now I’m dreaming of all the fair foods and pumpkin flavor everything. Good luck with all the submitting. I’m trying to find the courage to start researching where to send and then submit.

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  6. It’s fun to read about your lessons & good for you for keeping going. I haven’t been to a fair in a long time but funnel cakes – yum! Best wishes for good mail soon, Carol!

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  8. Brava to you for submitting! I’m partial to cotton candy at the fair, the freshly made in front of your eyes miracle of sweetness. I’m glad you published these poems for us to enjoy.

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  10. It’s all about putting it out there, right? In my house we celebrate (moderately!) every rejection I receive. (I got two rejections in one day recently which tested my positive attitude a bit more than usual!) I’m impressed that you’re submitting each month! Congratulations on that and wishing you the best of luck with your future submissions!

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  11. Carol, great work submitting your poems for publication. Resilience, yes! Good luck and I know you will keep growing as you pursue this. I love the pumpkin poem, what a rich variety of food comes from pumpkins. Today is the first time I’ve learned that pumpkin flowers are edible.

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    1. Thanks, Denise, for your encouragement and support. I hope I am successful at some point. Pumpkins definitely have a lot to offer! They also have both male and female flowers! That’s another fact that kids love to hear!

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