Ahw shit!! 💕😂Thanks Jenny, I'm really glad you found it. Maybe you saw the comment I wrote mentioning it then deleted the other day because I didn't want my tone misinterpreted as accusing, or complaining, and wasn't sure how to fix it on the spot before realizing how easy it would have been to delete everything but my appreciation for you and your story?

The wait wasn't actually that long either, but longer than usual, so I reflected on why you might hold onto it. I figured you saw through me, and wanted me to know it. I thought there might be a test to see if I'd prove myself wrong by reacting to you. However, I'd been planning to prove the poem wrong all along...

I'm still rather up and down, always. Mostly because of my own decisions though, not taking care of myself or others properly.

Then it got me thinking, that profile image must be a dead giveaway of my true feelings anyway. It's very beautiful, and bright, and peaceful... but incredibly dark nonetheless. 🖤

I also wish to be peace and love someday.

But you're doing great, my friend!! It can't be easy running a popular pub mostly on your own. No joke, every time someone joins mine, I get anxiety.

I think I need to take away the promise of publishing within a few days... I don't even check the submissions more than once in every couple of months... and I know I've missed notifications before.

But I'll stop myself before reaching any further tangents here. 🪷🪷🪷

I'm also mentally tired from quickly powering through the second half of Escape to Reality by Mark Cullen, a book I'm confident you'd love deeply, in case you've never heard of it... to say it's about gardening wouldn't even remotely cut it, but I don't want to give it all away.

I had it out from the library for two full cycles, having exhausted my renewals once, then reset by a super friendly librarian... somehow, no matter that I loved it so much, I just couldn't put the time aside for it. Today, I felt wrong keeping it to myself any longer, so I gave it up and put it on the future shopping list.

This, btw, is me becoming more Canadian by the day. It's almost a rule that you never leave after saying goodbye. Most conversations here I swear happen in home entrances, or driveways, in the summer time...

In any case, I appreciate youuu!!! 💚

And I'll submit again soon.

Sincerely,

G