I just got a rejection
I checked the status
of my submission
and it said “rejected”

I had been checking and checking the status
and it had kept saying “in review”

I like “rejected” better than “in review”
I don’t like the feeling of being unsure
now I can say they don’t know what they’re talking about

Image Credit:Walid Hamadeh

Daniel J. Flore III’s poems have appeared in many publications.  His fifth poetry book, WRITTEN IN THE DUST ON THE CEILING FAN, can be found here.