First let me say that there is a fuller version of Dare to Dream. But I had to cut it down to 20 lines to enter it in a poetry contest. I received a letter indicating I was in the finals to be concidered for the $ 10.000.00 prize. (or any of the other prize categories). Anyway as it turns out the web site I posted on is on a list of poetry scam web sites. oh yes I was published and they are making money off my hard work. The poets are charged $ 40.00 to purchase the book their poetry is in. I resended my permission to publish and have requested my money back four times (I sent $ 20.00, to pay the remainder the next month so my book could be sent to me. I did this after I was sent a letter stating that to be part of the contest I would have to send them alot of money to attend the event. There is no number to reach anyone on, or address that does any good. I had to end up sending my request for reimbursement through the format they use to submit the poems. I did tell them what I thought about what they were doing. (It was Poetry.com.) Anyway I got a letter back telling me that my exceptional tallent had earned me a spot in the finals for yet another contest, and I could have my piece published. Guys this was a not so nice short letter asking for a refund. And I realized that everything was computer generated to send the finals notification letter to anyone who sent in anything, poem or not. I worked one and a half months rewriting that poem, can you imagine what this did to my confidence. I had only written two other poems that were not even close to Dare to Dream. I studied, I read poetry, did the exercises and followed the advise to rewrite until I was satisfied. Before the two previous poems, I had written a piece in junior high in a peotry class I took. The teacher read it aloud to the class and gave me an A++. She said I had potential, but I did not explore it any further at the time. So here I am thinking I did fairly well only to find out that I could have sent in "I'm a little teapot short and shout" and I would have been a finallist. Man I was shot down something awful. I had no idea if what I had created was of much value at all. So this is why I have asked my new friends to read my work and comment on it. I need people who do not know me to get feedback from. My family and a couple of close friends are the only one's I have let even see my stuff. Anyway I guess I am trying to figure out if I should try again, as it's been a year since anyone has seen anything I have written. I have done three other works, none of them are complete. I guess I don't have enough confidence in myself yet as I am still so new at this. I have not been writing for quite some time, Only a couple of years, and each piece takes me along time to complete. And my command of english is not as it should or could be. I am a single mom with a 13 year old son I have raised by myself since he was two. I just don't have the time or energy to go back and retake my english grammer courses. So anyway this is why I have requested that some of you read my poem, as I feel I will get honest feedback from you. I have been following the message boards for a little while now. And have figured out that you guys are a pretty special group of careing poeple. I feel like I can truly get something good from exposing myself here, what ever the responses turn out to be. You all seem so articulate and bright, I could not be putting myself in better hands. I need to know the truth and I welcome the replys. I would gain so much and grow as a person (and possible artist) from the experience. I follow the Libra board, the Cancer board, and the writing board. So I am at an advantage in that I know all of you far better by now than you know me. All I can say is that we are more alike in the way we view friends, and life than you could have anyway of knowing as of yet. Sorry guys for tooting my own horn here, but this is as close as I have come to be
