That it should not be mine, or yours, or yours. Denial becomes a habit. Some get used to hearing
no, expect nothing more.
It says: you can’t have it, you can’t do it, it’s not good enough, you can do better, or wait, no you
can’t. It says: you have to be chosen. It says: (regardless of merit).
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Cynthia Reeser Artist Statement:
Cynthia Reeser is the Founder and Publisher of Aqueous Books, and Founder and Editor-in-Chief
of Prick of the Spindle literary journal. She has published more than 100 reviews in print and online, as
well as poetry and fiction in print and online. Her short stories are anthologized in the Daughters of
Icarus Anthology (Pink Narcissus Press, 2013), and in Follow the Blood: Tales Inspired by The Hardy Boys
and Nancy Drew (Sundog Lit, 2013). She is an editor by profession and lives near Birmingham, a city
undergoing a cultural renaissance. Visit her on the web at www.cynthiareeser.com.