Patience!

I am this close to self-publishing a book.  And by this, I mean--in terms of linear measurement--half an inch.  Or a quarter of an inch, as it seems to me, in my enthusiasm.

At an approximate length of 100 pages, it's not a long book, by any means.  Just a short "debut" book--a collection of poems, most of which are 1-2 pages long, along with two very long poems that have a little more gravitas than the others.  One of these is finished, the other is half-finished.  And that's what I'm waiting for, with some attempts at patience.

Orpheus is allowed to rescue his wife from death, on one condition--that he never looks back at her.

This last poem is a re-telling of Orpheus and the Underworld...perhaps a big mistake.  There are, of course, numerous renditions of this story, including poems by Robert Browning and Percy Bysshe Shelley, and operas by Gluck and Offenbach.  To name a few examples.  I probably should feel as presumptuous as if I were rewriting Hamlet, or Beowulf, or Paradise Lost; and frankly, anybody writing about the same subjects as great poets like Browning should think twice.

But to my defense, I have not read any of those Orpheus poems, nor have I watched any complete Orpheus opera.  I'm approaching the subject with my own set of ideas, and have gone so far as to change some names and create some new characters.  The setting is a combination of a fantasy world, 21st-century technology, and rugged, Pacific Northwest terrain.  I've nearly stopped associating Orpheus and Eurydice with Greek mythology/heroes, and I've given them each more individuality, to add to their other attributes.  I suppose a lot of people will dislike these changes; it won't appeal to those looking for a lot of "gritty realism", romance, or even mythology.  Personally, though, I think the beauty of Orpheus and the Underworld is all found in the fundamental plot/themes, and, as with all epic fairytales, the plot is more poignant when it speaks for itself. 


My poem is divided into four parts.  Part I--begun in August 2011--was finished relatively quickly, but I only just finished Part II.  It doesn't quite help that I chose some difficult rhyming/stanza/metric schemes (I'm using a different scheme for each part).  Because of this, and because I write so very slowly, it might be anywhere from a couple of days to a couple of months before the poem is finished.

I'm hoping for a happy medium...like 2 weeks.  Now, if I can only muster up enough patience.