P – Poemeleon: A Journal of Poetry Seeking Happy Poems

Call for Submissions: Happy Poems

Why is it so hard to write a happy poem? Correction: Why is it so hard to write a good happy poem? The lit world is rife with sadness, anger, depression, horror, fear, rage, outrage—the full range of negative emotions. This is of course a natural reaction to the news of the world and in fact just to the dailiness of living. And sure, there are plenty of writers who bury their head in the sand and write nothing but shallow light verse. That’s not what we are looking for. (But feel free to submit anyway. Who knows?)

We instead propose an issue that finds something happy to latch on to, some ray of hope beaming out from a crack in the steaming pile of dogshit that is the world. For this issue, we want to see your version of a happy poem. The full range of happy. How do we acknowledge those things that bring us joy, contentment, or dare I say, happiness, even as the world burns down around us?

Interpret this as you may.

Would it make you happy to, say, see a certain politician shot from a cannon to the moon? Can you read the newspaper without crying and for a moment contemplate how lucky you are with your hot cup of coffee and someone you care about? Can we all breathe deeply and be in the moment and look for those things that make life worth living?

Happiness is a complex emotion. Send us your happy poems, whatever that means to you. Give yourself a brief respite from whatever is ailing you to write some happiness into your life.

For ease of acceptance/rejection, you may submit as many times as you’d like but submit ONLY one poem at a time.

Please include a 50 word third-person bio. Cover letter optional. Also optional: If moved to do so,  include a 50 word contributor statement about the work submitted. (See past issues for examples of what we mean.)