education built my confidence
in things like failing and dashed
dreams
rejection letters from major
and then minor publications
hung on my wall in defiant pride
one editor called me and effer
in not such nice terms.
i learned just then a masters
does basically nothing for me
unless it leads to a degree of
cow patties
Piled higher and Deeper (PhD)
at which point it matters
not whether i’ve been published
i’m officially qualified to brainwash
you in the same manner i was
treated
welcome to undergraduate hazing
as soon as i’m tenured i’ll be a master
hazer removing your brains and
giving you heavy hopes
so when you dash them on the cliffs
of desire (you’re writing sucks by the way)
they’ll at least leave a legacy of
scarred bluffs, cliffs, and perhaps
sticker laden walls of shameful rejection
letters
the sieve and the sand 
very powerful.
I really like this piece.
you’re welcome to come to my brainwashing school the day it opens.
Which leads me to again put forth the idea that we should open The Sieve and the Sand Center For Children Who Can’t Read Good And Wanna Learn To Do Other Stuff Good Too. All correspondence of course.
I meant to change it to “can’t write good.” crap the copy and paste!
(your writing sucks anyway)
^ I liked that part.
probably my favorite line ever.