rejection letters

the rejection letters
come back like a flock
of wingless doves,
crinkled and coffee
stained on cheap paper,
kind words
saying sorry, but no.
the editors eligible
smudge at the bottom.
you pin them to the wall
next to the others.
a patchwork of square
notes,
a quilted bed of sorrys,
of try agains,
it's not our type of poetry
or prose. but keep writing,
keep reading, who knows,
keep at it
and maybe one day you'll
be worthy
of seeing in print
something that you wrote.
you pay no mind
to any of it. they don't own
you, at least not yet.