the first rejection

The first rejection
it's not the first time i haven't won
not the first time i wasn't the best
it's not the first time i wasn't even good enough
but it's the first rejection
the first that i wasn't a kid
where i thought it would count
when your not on that list
when you didn't excel
the first among many to come
and it's almost exciting
almost exhilarating
because i know how many more must come my way
I know that this isn't even the tip of the iceberg
but it also makes me smile because of that
because i took it well
because i know I'm not about to give up
because i know that I'm good enough
that i can give my best effort
that i can excel
so perhaps this rejection did more
far more than any acceptance could
perhaps it will push me farther
to do more than i might have
to show that rejection what I've got