I don't usually do this, but I thought I'd share some original content* here tonight. Happy New Year.
.
This time I'm Really Going to Do It, I swear, I'll
lose ten pounds and work out
every other day plus run except
on Sundays starting today I mean
tomorrow I mean heck
it's already December might
as well wait for the New
Year I'm going to charge
into that fresh baby arms
upright confetti flying everywhere
hit it like a finish line this year.
I'll break that ribbon in
tatters this year I'm going to
go to the gym this year I'll
shave more than just
the hair off my legs I'm going
to fall in love this
year I'll float like seafoam at
the sunrise I'll be beautiful this
is the year
I'll do it
I swear
for humano, if you see it, i expect my line breaks may annoy you. i'm still working on them for this poem. some of them aren't right. some of them are.
- Why don't I usually do this? Publishing rights, my friend. I'm sorry, but every poem I put up here becomes a poem I can't submit to 90% of literary magazines, print or online.
Nice. Out of curiosity though, what are the usual terms for submitting to journals, etc? Can you republish on your own terms after a reasonable period of time?
humanodon is correct about publishing a book or chapbook; usually at the end there is a "notes" sort of section where the author can accredit the 1st publication. After publication, rights revert to the author. Unfortunately, "first publication rights" can be quite stringent; some magazines consider even posting the poem on a private Facebook account or blog (i.e., one you can't see without having a password or an invite of some sort) as "first publication." Of course, this does beg the question of "How would they be able to verify?" Some publications are a little more lenient and will say it can be published on Facebook, or if you have already put it up on a blog as long as you delete it you're okay. But it varies.
Sometimes they are more specific and want, say "First North American publishing rights."
Yeah, I'm actually not as clear on the terms as I should be, but I'm pretty sure that it's just so that when a writer comes out with a book or chapbook, or the poem is otherwise reprinted, that the publication gets a mention like, "this poem originally appeared in the May 2014 issue of Juggs" (for example). I don't think they generally prevent a writer from choosing to reprint or republish a work in another publication or medium.