“Today is where your book begins…release your inhibition”

Writing is something that is very vulnerable. The more a person writes, the more they reveal about themselves even if they try to be incredibly discreet. It is almost scary. I have yet to decide quite how I feel about this.

After school today I did something a little out of the ordinary for me - I checked the mailbox before going to work.  This is extremely abnormal for me. In fact, most days I go straight to work, and I am not entirely sure what made me stop at home first today. In the mailbox I found a few random postcards and letters from colleges, a check from work, my report card, and another piece of mail unfamiliar to me. On my five minute drive to work: the things from colleges went in the trash, the check was stored safely away until I go to the bank tomorrow, the report card was quickly checked, and then I reached for that one envelope that was not rectangular, but square.

Inside, I found a letter saying that I was a semi-finalist in a poetry contest and that they wanted to publish my poem. I could not contain my laughter at I looked at what was before me. Me? In a poetry contest? Couldn’t be! There was a copy of the poem I submitted attached to the letter and after glancing at it I realized how this happened. A few weeks ago, I was signing up for a membership to a scholarship search website, and as I was filling out the form they asked for random things like a poem and a picture you’ve taken. In my haste I grabbed a notebook full of random writing samples and typed in the shortest one I had. Now, I am to be published? And in a book titled “Immortal Verses”? How hilarious is that? I most definitely find it funny.

It’s totally one of those scams where they ask you to pay $50 for the book so you can keep the cherished item forever! This hot item will be going fast, so make sure to order enough for everybody you know to show them you’ve been published! You can have them type in a bio next to your poem for an additional $25, but then don’t forget the covering! You can get that engraved for an extra $30! Gold pages are only $20 more! As you might have guessed, I will not be paying them a dime. However, from now on I will be able to say that I’ve been published. I can’t wait to tell Grandma; she’ll be so proud!

Lyrics from Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield