After the Edit

by Kelly Sharp

The ink is dry and set
Each page printed, envelope
Addressed and ready

I caress the page
I've sweated, bled upon
One last time

I pulled it screaming
Naked and angry;
I gave birth to it

I brought it into light
Not just to purge it,
But so it might be read

Now to insert it
Back into darkness
To travel through the post

To clutter a desk
In tomorrow's stack
Of things to do

It may be reborn
Or it may returned
At publisher's whim

The Author

Kelly is the mother of three and an ER ward clerk. In her spare time, she writes poetry and historical fiction in the state of Mississippi. Her interest are Celtic folklore, the outdoors, history, and reading. She's 39 years old.