diff --git a/src/widget/submenu.c b/src/widget/submenu.c
index decfbf4d..0b320e60 100644
--- a/src/widget/submenu.c
+++ b/src/widget/submenu.c
@@ -117,8 +117,9 @@ static void click(MwWidget handle) {
 
 			if(MwGetInteger(handle, MwNleftPadding) <= handle->mouse_point.x && rc.y <= handle->mouse_point.y && handle->mouse_point.y <= (int)(rc.y + rc.height)) {
 				if(menu->sub[i]->wsub == NULL && arrlen(menu->sub[i]->sub) > 0) {
-					MwPoint p;
-					int	j;
+					MwPoint	 p;
+					MwWidget sw;
+					int	 j;
 
 					for(j = 0; j < arrlen(menu->sub); j++) {
 						if(menu->sub[j]->wsub != NULL) MwDestroyWidget(menu->sub[j]->wsub);
@@ -128,8 +129,14 @@ static void click(MwWidget handle) {
 					p.x = MwGetInteger(handle, MwNwidth);
 					p.y = rc.y - 3;
 
-					menu->sub[i]->wsub = MwCreateWidget(MwSubMenuClass, "submenu", handle, 0, 0, 0, 0);
-					MwSubMenuAppear(menu->sub[i]->wsub, menu->sub[i], &p, 0);
+					/* some backends (e.g. Wayland) dispatch input while creating a widget, which can re-enter this handler */
+					sw = MwCreateWidget(MwSubMenuClass, "submenu", handle, 0, 0, 0, 0);
+					if(sw != NULL && (menu->sub[i]->wsub != NULL || handle->destroyed)) {
+						MwDestroyWidget(sw);
+					} else if(sw != NULL) {
+						menu->sub[i]->wsub = sw;
+						MwSubMenuAppear(sw, menu->sub[i], &p, 0);
+					}
 					i = -1;
 				} else if(menu->sub[i]->wsub != NULL && arrlen(menu->sub[i]->sub) > 0) {
 					while(w->parent->widget_class == MwSubMenuClass) w = w->parent;