Author's Lament (first draft)

My pride and joy from a former life has nothing to do with my yarnspinner's life today, but it reminds me of who and what I was, in the spring of yesterday

AUTHOR'S LAMENT

So I got a little story

And this much is what I know

Hours and hours of writing

Before it’s good enough

For the editor to go

Then back to me

And back to she

Edits by the score

Until at last it’s finished

In a package by the door.

Then off to beta readers

To tell us what they like

Or tell us what is wrong

And all the time

I wring my hands

And sing a simple song

Please oh please mister publisher

Take my letter from your pile

And please don’t

Consign it to the bin

For it took a lot of time to create

The character and plot

Just to drag you in

With my finger on the send button poised

The whole shebang has gone

To somewhere in an editor’s office

Where I hope you’ll take

Just a minute of your time

To read the cover letter

And synopsis of the plot

Because after months of writing

This is the best I’ve got