A few months later, I attended a workshop taught by Dougherty at my college. Remembering how much my professor liked the piece, I decided to read it to the workshop group, including Dougherty. When I was done, I returned to my seat and happened to overhear Dougherty saying to my professor, “I think it might be better than my poem” or something to that effect. I was elated and encouraged, and later that evening, I shared drinks, laughter, and discussion with Dougherty where I think we even discussed the piece further.

And so, years later, looking through my work to submit to various magazines, I came across this story and realized it was one of few that conformed to the very low word-limit of most zines. With much reluctance, I submitted it to a few different zines, assuming it would never be published but also assuming that in light of Dougherty’s comments and feelings about the piece and myself that I would have his blessing. To my surprise, Ducts accepted it with gusto.

The story is an homage to Sean’s poem and not plagiarized. The subtitle is not merely a “nod” to Sean but a complete admission and reference to the overwhelming influence of his poem on the piece. Language that was used in his poem is mostly reduced to single words which helped inspire the sentences, like “howling”, “longing”, “fear”, “cresendoed”, “pitter patter”, “cradling”, and the reference to Kundera, which I expanded. Only the last line (as Dougherty notes) is taken directly from the poem and was meant as yet another homage to his talents.

I am saddened by Sean’s reaction and hope he will consider contacting me directly so we can talk more about this misunderstanding. I am hurt by his assertion that I don’t use my talent and “resort to [expletive deleted] like that” and that one should “suspect anything [I] wrote.” I hope my other work, which has appeared in numerous online and print journals, speaks for my talent, originality, and insight to the nature of writing.

I should have had to the foresight to know that I wouldn’t want something of mine published to be so heavily influenced (easily the most influenced piece I’ve ever written), especially since it ended up in one of the best zines on the net. I now regret ever having published it.

The experience has ruined one of my happiest moments as a publishing writer yet.

-Curtis Tompkins