After several years of sending batches of poems to the Carus Group (publishers of Babybug, Ladybug, Spider, Cricket, etc.) they finally accepted one of my poems for publication - "The Termite". I almost didn't include this one in my last batch because some members of my critique group had been so critical of it. But while some didn't like it, others did - including me. I read it, and two others termite poems, to my class of second graders and they only laughed out loud at mine. So I followed my gut and sent it off to Carus. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? Good thing, too. I am thrilled! I know it's a little thing, but Spider Magazine is a high quality, literary publication and getting a poem accepted by them is a small affirmation of my writing skills.
Alas, I wish it had been a story or a fiction piece. In a few months, I'll have more time to craft fiction. For now, writing poetry satisfies my creative yearnings and keeps me writing.