Submit Anyway
Honorable mentions from my Arrhythmia submission—two poems that didn’t make it, but still healed something in me.
I took a chance and submitted to Arrhythmia, an online magazine I almost scrolled past.
I remember second-guessing myself, but I submitted anyway.
One of my poems was accepted (a moment I won’t forget), and two didn’t make it. Still, those two—Resurrection is a Slow Ritual and How to Come Back to Life After a Heartbreak—held pieces of me I needed to share. They were written years after a breakup that shaped my life, and rewriting them now—married, a mom, in a new chapter—was like sending a love letter to my former self.
If you're a writer sitting on a piece, unsure if it’s "good enough" or if it’ll resonate—let this be your sign to submit. To try. To believe in what your words can do.
The poems that didn’t make it still carried me through some of my darkest days. Maybe they’ll mean something to you, too.
Read them below. And if you’ve been hesitating—this is your nudge.
Go submit. Your voice matters.
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Resurrection is a Slow Ritual
No trumpet.
No earthquake.
Just me—
typing in the quiet
and calling it victory.
Resurrection didn’t find me in a church pew.
It found me
halfway through a sentence,
when I remembered how to breathe.
Writing pulled me back
when everything else was still.
It’s the reason I still believe
in second chances.
How to Come Back to Life After a Heartbreak
Stop pretending the silence doesn’t hurt.
Let it speak. Let it echo. Let it empty you a little.
Let yourself rot for a bit.
Compost makes good soil.
Drink water—not to heal,
but to prove you still can.
Say one kind thing to your reflection.
Mean it eventually.
Touch your skin.
Let it remind you
that you're still here.
Remember the song that broke you.
Play it anyway.
Let it ruin you one more time,
then let it go.
Cry without a witness.
Then cry with one.
Make breakfast like it’s an offering
to the person you’re becoming.
Fail to enjoy it.
That’s okay.
Try again.
And again.
And again.
There’s no timeline for resurrection.
Only breath.
And the will to keep returning
to yourself.
About the Creator
Carolina Borges
I've been pouring my soul onto paper and word docs since 2014
Poet of motherhood, memory & quiet strength
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Comments (20)
"Well said 👏"
Your vulnerability in sharing this journey, including the submissions that weren’t accepted, speaks to the courage of writing.
Well done Carolina, I can imagine how thrilled you were. It takes courage to submit our pieces. I read your two poems, they are beautifully haunting. I always find writing from these painful spaces creates so much depth and healing.
I am writing stories but no one is reading i don't know how SEO of the story can some help me please😰😥😓
Obviously it was selected. You gave a talent for writing.
Good write
This is such a beautiful and vulnerable piece. I love how you’ve shared both the triumph of submitting your work and the tenderness of the poems themselves. The idea of resurrection as a slow, quiet process really resonates—how healing can often be subtle, like learning to breathe again. The line "Writing pulled me back when everything else was still" is so powerful; it perfectly captures the healing power of creativity when life feels stagnant. Your second poem, "How to Come Back to Life After a Heartbreak," is raw and profound. The way you guide the reader through the painful process of healing—from letting the silence speak to learning to nourish yourself again—is incredibly relatable. The vulnerability you express here is so comforting, as it gives permission to feel deeply and to embrace the process, no matter how long it takes. I especially love the line "Make breakfast like it’s an offering to the person you’re becoming," which beautifully encapsulates the idea of self-care as an act of transformation. Your words are both a nudge to submit and a reminder that our voices matter, even in the quiet moments of struggle. Thank you for sharing this part of your journey with us. It’s truly inspiring!
Wonderful poems! This is an excellent reminder to just go for it and submit our poems and stories. You never know. Maybe they'll get picked or maybe not. But if you don't submit, then you will never know!
Good write
Thank you, these came in such great timing while logging back in on here after years. These are beautiful, I definitely resonate. Congratulations on your submission!
Wonderful poems and great advice in your intro. Congrats on TS!
Nice post
Beautiful writing - felt your emotions very clearly. Keep going, keep feeling and evolving through all life's ups and downs - then put it on the page :)
Perfect message! Some publications/presses even say in their guidelines "Don't self-reject. If you're unsure, send it and let us decide." Well done on finding the opportunity + placing (no small feat!) and recognizing the intrinsic worth of the other two poems despite one editor taking a pass on them (which can be for any number of reasons, by the way).
Awesome. Thanks for sharing this with us! Loved both poems.
Always be willing to take a chance on yourself. You matter. You are worthy. And you are brilliant and awesome. 😁
Yes, love both poems. So encouraging and uplifting and relatable.
With both poems, I felt like I was living them as you narrated. I love your style with words to evoke graphic emotions within me. Resurrection is my favorite..."it found me halfway through a sentence". Just wow...
Compost makes good soil ♥
I like your style. It has been something I’ve wanted, but for now, and until I heal. I write to get ride of the memories that I no longer want.