Published

Published!

Dreading going out for the paper, I put on my winter coat, oversized woolen hat, my thickest scarf, and boots. I couldn’t find my gloves so had to go with mittens. It was only the newspaper I was after, not like trying to get the mail with mittens. I know that one because I tried it once. I actually found two of my envelopes two weeks later when the snow melted.

It was still dark. Normally I would just wait till later when it was light, but I was so excited because my poem was going to be in the paper, today! I would have been out even earlier, but my alarm clock batteries died (apparently at twelve forty three.)

As I trudged down the driveway toward the mailbox I heard a noise from the tree in the front. I couldn’t actually see anything because of the darkness. I assumed a squirrel or a neighborhood cat. I didn’t even look up.

As I got to the mailbox, my newspaper box next to it, I listened again, but heard nothing. Shrugging it off, I pulled the newspaper out of the box and turned to go back.

Suddenly a loud swish! And as I stood there, before I could even look up, a huge bird flew out of the tree, grabbed my newspaper with both feet, and flew off into the dark sky!!

I just stood there. The bird was gone now, the newspaper with my poem in it, also gone, it was pitch dark out and I was getting cold. I would now need to go to the market to get any newspaper at all!

I always remember that moment. My very first published work, and I had to buy it twice. It still makes me laugh every time.