2011, a Year in Poetry

Yes, it's just a calendar and a year ain't nothing but a number yet it's time to reflect on my year in the world of poetry.

I don't post goals, but have them in my head sometimes. Not sure what I achieved this past year. There was some good work done, I got published in the online journal The Legendary. That was a goal. It's not print, but it's closer.

The writing did not go as well this year though. I was distracted too much, not particularly focused and it showed. I can do better. Sure, the highlight was being asked by Will Evans to be on a Rust Belt slam team at the last minute. The Collective of Atticus, Ellie, Paula and myself did great, after that, what?

Finally was asked by Mark Hersman to feature at Sips Coffeehouse and did a good gig with Joe Suarez.

Was a part of the Language of Art exhibit. Again. Read at Arts Fest. Again. Is it me? Or should I be challenging myself more? Not sure if I have anything worthy of submitting for Arts Fest 2012. Am I feeling complacent, not confident or am I looking for something bigger, whatever that is?

Know what's great, going to another country where no one has heard your work so you can do some old shit. That's why reading a few poems with the Bards in the Park at Tolcross Park in Glasgow was so awesome. I could have read anything!

There was plenty of fun too, Jon Sands read my poem, the Race War reached new lows, I pulled out my guitar and played "I Do the Chet" in front of an audience, something I had never done before. Seuss lost to Silverstein and I read "The Smoke Off" as a tribute. Hearing the Humpty Dance in Italian during the Rap Lyrics Slam was one of the hottest poems of the year.

Wanted to put out another chapbook, but released a CD instead. Is this a step forward, or back?

So I'm going into another year with uncertainty about where I want to go, and a lack of confidence with what's in my backpack. I want to write better, perform better and the only way to accomplish these things is to stop farting around and do it.

And there it is. What am I missing, and what did I miss?