Dearly beloved
we are gathered here today
in honor and remembrance of
a most beloved figure
an author of unknown renown
taken from us too soon
when the 11th rejection of
her magnum opus
finally killed her
blame her not
11, you might think
a number light, all things considered
many an aspiring artist have surely suffered worse
with great grief, sure
but with perseverance, overcoming their hardships
what was the final drop, you might ask
in this cup of rejections, overflowing
the answer is a single e-mail
when the editor asked
what she might be willing to do
to get published
yes, an e-mail ended only with
😉
She will be missed.
***
Nikoline Kaiser is the author of several poems and short stories, including “ode to an asexual” published with Strange Horizons and “The Dawn Was Gray” with Underland Arcana. Her work focuses on family, feminism and queer themes. She lives in Denmark and has a Master’s degree in Comparative Literature from Aarhus University
When not writing, she works on a project communicating knowledge about women authors around the world.
***
image: MM Kaufman
Rejection Letters 