Eileen Tabios speaks of long poetry books. my Days Poem seems gaudily long at 800 pages in manuscript. too long, even, so that I have been reluctant to offer it. I'd sent Meritage another, shorter manuscript, and simply mentioned Days Poem as an oh by the way. luckily, long piques Eileen's interest (ahem) and she asked to see it. the manuscript, that is. printing it out for her was the 1st time I'd printed the whole megilla. I started the poem under the influence of Jim Leftwich's Doubt, a 500 page tour-de-force published by Potes & Poets Press. I loved his surging dense language but also that extent. the 1st few pages that I wrote, I probably sound like Leftwich. but then I started onto my own path. and the work developed its own necessity. part of which necessity consisted of writing in the work every day. so I wrote on my wedding day, I wrote on the Christmas of the solar eclipse, I wrote everyday at Children's Hospital during our 9 day stay there when Erin broke his leg, I wrote during our travels, I wrote and wrote. after 14 months, the work told me it was done. I appreciate a publisher willing to bring out such a long work. the operative point here isn't about the length, but that the work is allowed its fullness. believe me, I grok the economics. I'd've brought it out myself, if the financials were feasible. this way I luck out with Eileen's eminently supportive presence, which is the greatest gift. if I'd thought small, I'd be scuttling my work toward magazines, anthologies and neat 80 page books. which are fine venues, but, you know, this 800 page poem wouldn't fit there. and I would hate to think I was tailoring my work to the size of such venues. the excitement of Jack Kimball's Post~Twyla, to offer a for instance, feeds off ofthe venture of Jack writing to the work's full extent. you could cut 80 pages out of P~T and have a good read, but that would amount to saying, hey, great arm! it should be noted that print on demand looks like a saving grace, a way of softening the economic blow. anyway, I am full thankful to Eileen and super wow excited that Days Poem will see light.