Phew!

What a relief.

I've seen my piece added to the other worlds, other voices exhibition being shown in Rochester. It's in keeping with the theme, and in context not nearly as flamboyant as I worried about.

Re-reading the piece, yes, the Irish is simple. But it states everything I need to say, and I don't need to say anything more. That will come later, with practice - for now, this is enough. I have little Irish, but what little I have I own. I can be patient enough to go through the baby steps, and I have faith that one day I will look back and wonder why I worried so much. Learning a language, like any skill including poetry, is an apprenticeship after all.

Which brings the question, why was I so worried? If someone judges the piece, they are only engaging with my thoughts, with my words, not me. Aren't they? Isn't that how it always works? (Well, no, not really. Not always)

How do you feel before you release a piece of art or poetry into the public realm? Are you happy? Excited? Worried? Is it only the work itself you worry about?Why such a barrier when letting a piece go public, after all? For some artists, of course, through bitter experience they find that they are the news not their art.

But sometimes, like for someone invisible like me, the thrill is in releasing something new. It's new to me. Artists are pioneers, after all. Even the baby steps - what new place did you visit this week?