My First Rejection (47)

I got my first rejection "letter" the other day. It was emailed to me. "Dear Riba Taylor: We regret that your manuscript does not fit our current editorial needs, but we appreciated the opportunity to consider your work. Thanks very much for submitting. Sincerely, The Editors of Ploughshares." I couldn't help thinking, in this day of cut and paste, it might have been a tiny bit more substantial. I wondered if they had various versions. Maybe mine was the bare bones rejection, the one they sent out to people whose work they thought was particularly inappropriate for their magazine. What was she thinking? Maybe they send out more richly crafted rejection letters to people whose work they liked better. When I saw it in my inbox, my heart fluttered. I don't remember it plummeting when I read the note. I think I just went on, sifted through my other email, made my morning "rounds." But tonight, days later, I'm still wishing there had been more to the rejection letter. And maybe I'd like it better if it had come in the regular mail. Maybe a bow would have been nice. I don't let myself feel my disappointment. I tell myself it is still a beginning. I am moving now.