Eventide
On Sunsets, Rejections, and Hot Pink Giant Wasps
Eventide
And still, every night,
You transfigure with love
these waters above
into wine.
About the Poem
This is the shortest poem I’ve ever had published in print and also the poem I mention to students most often—not because of its brevity, but because this poem holds the dubious honor of having been rejected more than any of my poems. What’s crazy is that, after 46 rejections, it found a home in a magazine (Commonweal) with one of the bigger readerships a poem of mine has ever enjoyed (around 20,000 people).
While I have definitely learned a thing or two about submitting poems more strategically over the years, this little poem’s long journey reminds me not to give up in the face of the inevitable rejections, failures, and setbacks that all artists face.1
Likewise, the poem’s sweetest gifts have been personal, not public. Writing this poem has deepened my own appreciation of sunsets. Its opening words, “And still,” remind me to look for beauty amid life’s sorrows. And you can imagine my surprised delight when my daughters recited this poem for me from memory one day (in unison!) when I had no idea they knew it—two tiny seeds of wonder planted. Speaking of wonder…
About the Illustration
I know—there are so many drawings of actual sunsets I could’ve chosen to go with this poem. But my friend Asia Raye Miles (previously) has been doing a wonder-fueled deep dive into insect wings, meticulously illustrating highly magnified views that highlight their incredible designs. She enjoys the slow, meditative process—another example of how art is a gift to the artist before (or whether) the work ever gets shared.
Asia has said that insect wings, when viewed close up, remind her of stained glass, and I agree! But for both of us, her illustration of this Hot Pink Giant Wasp wing evoked something else even more: a sunset! As I recently reflected, God’s stunning artistry is woven through everything, from the skies above to the microscopic.
You can check out more of Asia’s wings and other work at her website and newsletter.
Last Reminder
There are still spots open for next month’s Spirit & Scribe course about integrating spiritual formation and writing craft. We limit the course to 20 people to facilitate an interactive community.
Thank You
Thank you to Commonweal for originally publishing “Eventide.” And thank you for reading! If you have a moment to reply or share this post with a friend, it would mean a lot to me.
Seeking shalom,
Michael
As it happens, I woke up today (as of writing this) to a poem acceptance from a dream magazine that has been sending me form rejections for the past eight years straight. As that magazine’s editor said once: “The most ‘successful’ poets aren’t necessarily the most talented, they’re just the ones that stick in it the longest without getting bored or giving up.” Writers: keep learning, writing, and submitting! Don’t let those rejections get you down.
A few beautiful lines to dwell in.
Love this so much. The poem, your perseverance, finding God in the creative process/in creation.