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1
1
Review of Thoughts  Open in new Window.
Review by Jeffrey Meyer Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  Open in new Window.
Rated: 13+ | (4.5)
Arnak,

I agree with some of these; others I vehemently disagree with. But I don't think agreement is the point here, or even discussion, really. I feel like this is more to provoke and challenge thought than anything else.

I think of these pieces as "Testimonials." That's not an official type or genre of poem, just how my mind classifies them. Testimonials are statements of fact or feeling, and usually omit embellishment via simile or metaphor. What they do offer is contrast and comparison. The lines are set in such a way as to give readers two or three or a set of images to ponder and consider. This is a Testimonial, to me.

Here's a great set of lines, as an example:

Israel is a Fascist apartheid state.
Pokemon and The Legend of Zelda are my favorite video game franchise's.
f*** Capitalism.


These three lines, to me, are a wonderfully positioned set of statements somewhat captures the fractured mindset of the world today. From state-of-the-world observation to video games in the blink of an eye, and then to socioeconomic idealism! It tells me, the reader, that we don't compartmentalize ourselves, that all of our thoughts are trampling one another, all the time. As a reader, just from these three example lines, I get to sit back and ask myself if my thinking is as non-linear as this.

I Identify with fox's, bearded vultures, wolves, crows, centipedes, snakes, caribou, elephants, bears, spiders, snails, salamanders, skinks, skunks, and crabs, millipedes, lions, tigers, cheetahs, cayote, ants, lizards, tardigrades, moths, caterpillars, cats, dogs, and rats.
Death is a new beginning, God help us.
I'm not done.


If one reads this piece out loud, it gets more and more frenetic, passionate, and urgent. As punctuation disappears halfway through, this develops an unhinged tone. Then, with these lines at the end, we get some very definite and non-traditional statements. "I do not desire to be connected to the human race; I want to shed my person-self; and I want to continue in a different state."

The repetition of Pokemon and God throughout this piece is so provocative! Two concepts could not be further apart nor more integrally interwoven into the American (american?) experience. It's just brilliant hos this dichotomy is expressed.

"American" brings up a subtle point, as well: in Line 18, "american" should be capitalized—unless, that is, you made it lowercase as a way of subtly hinting the ideal of America no longer warrants he distinction of a proper noun due to its perceived or actual decay. I'd love to know if that's intentional or not.

The last line, "I'm not done," has an almost foreboding tone to it. One could see this scrawled hastily on a paper bag before someone goes on a violent spree. (No offense intended.)

One quick note: in Line 25, "existence" is misspelled as "exitance."

I'm quite taken with this coyly intelligent "rant." I'm so glad you're not done, because that means you are all the more likely to Write On!


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2
2
Review by Jeffrey Meyer Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  Open in new Window.
Rated: E | (4.0)
Szath,

This is an interesting piece. While it's not a technical term, I think if this your of piece as a "testimonial." There is little to no embellishment, only facts. But the facts are arranged in such a way as to provide contrasts, comparisons, and often even an overriding message.

Your overriding message is that it is not only still okay to believe, but that life is better when we believe. Is believing in unicorns so much different than believing in God? Belief is belief.

I would like to challenge you a little in this, and being such a reader as you are, I think you're up to it. My challenge is for you to make this into a free verse poem. Shed the unnecessary articles, pare down your sentences to the essential words. Arrange these thoughts so that they evoke and provoke memories and considerations in the reader's mind. Leave us with something to chew on.

I quite like this, my friend. If you do take my challenge, I hope to read the result. Either way... Write On!



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3
3
Review by Jeffrey Meyer Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  Open in new Window.
Rated: E | (4.0)
Nilay,

Quite the page-scroller you have here! I quite enjoyed it.

The concept of replacing one entity with another was famously explored in Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher. Your take on this gambit is nicely refreshing.

The way you open the story arc is very relatable. We have all experienced loss, and many of us have had the empty feeling that drives us into a depression—a depression so numbing that we drink or take foolish risks or even self-harm just to feel something. Using that loss as a supporting element for your greater story is nicely done, because we don't realize at first that we are "being set up." We are also kept in the dark, so far, about why her bond with her grandmother was so strong and intense.

The story is moved along with a good pace, and the nightly trips out and back are believable. It makes her replacement acceptable to the reader. However, when the young man comes into the picture, things start to get a little shaky. To begin, there's no library that stays open into the wee hours of the morning, so his alibi is not believable. Also, there's no hospital that's going to have records that available, especially to virtually unidentified people. This is just my suggestion, but it might add a bit of suspense for the reader if the two young people had to wait until morning, and then had to wait some more as they worked through the process, giving the reader little bits of info on back story as well as little hints that something is amiss in the present. That's just a suggestion, mind you; I'm not actually trying to write this for you. *Wink*

There were a couple of great lines that popped out at me:

~ "...like the music had somewhere else to be..." What an exquisite way of demonstrating how isolated the character felt. Absolutely eloquent wording.

~ "...silence in the car used to be peaceful. Now it felt sharp, like glass in her lungs..." What a tactile description! Anyone who has ever breathed in sub-zero air knows this feeling. And whereas one can put a muffler over one's mouth to mitigate the sensation, grief often knows no such limitation. Nice job articulating emotion as a physical sensation.

You character arc so far is very well defined for Holly, less so for Arthur. I am thinking that is by design, that Arthur is going to develop in a semi-sinister way. (The fact that I am looking forward shows how well you've hooked the reader!) I must say, however, Holly's sudden call to action is a bit fast; there would be a longer period of shock at the situation. Again, just my own opinion there.

Your presentation is interesting here. I have a few notes to share on this, as well.

~ Make your main font a bit larger. A larger font is more comfortable to read on the screen.

~ Consider wider line spacing; I'd recommend 1.4 or 1.6. It allows for more white space, which prevents the reader's eyes from becoming fatigued as quickly. Along with that, consider using just 1 blank line between paragraphs. Sometimes, when readers are delivered text in an unfamiliar format, they might be resistant to it. I'm not entirely sure why, but it is often the case.

~ Your use of bold face is interesting, kind of avant garde. However, it's a bit confusing sometimes; the reader is unsure where the emphasis of the sentence's voice is, or what significance the bold type has. I do understand this is a stylistic choice, and I respect that. You might want to have a look and make sure those are exactly where they need to be by reading the sentences out loud to see how they sound.

Mechanically, I don't see a lot of tense, plurality, or punctuation errors. There's always one or two, but I'm not nit-picking.

Overall, this was a very interesting start to a story, and I look forward to reading more. So, since you have the readers' attention...write on!


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4
4
Review of Whoopie  Open in new Window.
Review by Jeffrey Meyer Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  Open in new Window.
Rated: E | (4.5)
Jacky,

I am reminded of Tom Sawyer selling opportunities to the neighborhood kids to whitewash Aunt Polly's fence, somehow. And I can really sympathize about being accosted into conversations. I simply don't have much to say, and I usually want to hear even less than that! So your story was very organic for me in that way; I was really able to nod my head along with the first half.

Nice short piece about a good deed actually getting you out of the hard work for a change!

Whoopie, indeed!

--Jeffrey
5
5
Review by Jeffrey Meyer Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  Open in new Window.
Rated: E | (4.5)
Samantha,

Excellent expansion and editing of this provoking piece. The explaination of the family right is perfectly placed and cleared up a lot of questions from the first draft.

It will be the readers' privilege to experience more of this story in future installments.

--Jeffrey
6
6
Review by Jeffrey Meyer Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  Open in new Window.
Rated: 13+ | (3.0)
Dee,

Man, who hasn't wanted to use this song as their theme for a day at some point?!

The theme is simple, but it's stated straightforwardly. What style is this? The attitude of the wording seems like it could be nu-metal, perhaps?

There's not much here but "leave me alone, or I'll lash out," so there's limited reviewing I can offer. I will suggest, though, that you collapse some of your lines together for the sake of presentation. For instance,

get out
of
my
face


Could easily be condensed down to

get out of my face


without sacrificing any of the statement's intent.

This poem is quite the valid expression of frustration.


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7
7
Review of The Word Fell  Open in new Window.
Review by Jeffrey Meyer Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  Open in new Window.
Rated: E | (4.5)
Conrad,

This is an interesting little sketch. Right now, it's just a little more than a drabble—which is a legitimate literary style that has an unfortunately derogatory-sounding name. A drabble is a story or vignette captured in 100 words or less, like a baby flash fiction.

Anyway, this sketch is effective two-fold. It represents that unexpected inspiration we writers—artists of any kind, I reckon—get out of the clear blue which reinvigorates our lives by sending our creativity into overdrive. It's what got me back to WdC after a very long hiatus.

But there's deeper interpretation here that has to be more than accidental. This is clearly applicable to divine recognition, as well. "The word fell from the sky" is almost exactly what Moses experienced, several times. Poor guy went up and down the mountain so many times! And the "word" as enlightenment that all of creation is a gift, is a delight. It is a reminder that all of the struggles and losses and gains are all part of the wonderfully complete experience of Life!

That second sentence feels a bit like a free-write product. It wants to say something about Man's urge to cling to one another in numbers, I think, but it hasn't found its foothold to articulate itself fully yet.

But "...when a word falls from the sky you best be prepared..." And how! I'm not a spiritual man, but if ever the Holy Creator makes himself known to me (or I get out of my own damn way and see what might have been in front of me my whole life), I will be stricken if I'm not in a state of preparation for such. It's a good admonition to us all to be prepared for inspiration or even divine "communication."

If it is the word of God that strikes one, you are right on the money that that Word will roll forth with nothing to stand in its way, filling stadiums and mountaintops with revelation, wrath, and Powerful

And after such an awakening and proclamation, then comes the Love of Rapture.

These a lot to be gleaned here, and I am eager to see which direction you take to flesh out this sketch.

Couple of constructive notes:

~ Watch your commas. For instance, you need a couple here: "You see, when a word falls from the sky, you best be prepared for".

~ Apostrophe's, too. Actually, in the same area, "you best be prepared" should be "...you'd best be prepared..."

Great work so far, sir.



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8
8
Review of Midnight  Open in new Window.
Review by Jeffrey Meyer Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  Open in new Window.
Rated: E | (5.0)
Jacky,

A white kitten named midnight—perfect! I love it!

We have a white cat that didn't make it into the house, but made it to our back porch, also about six years ago. The LOUDEST damn cat you can imagine. I tried to re-stray her; the only shelters around us euthanized stray cats that were brought in, and there were several active litters around our neighbor's house. But she just kept coming back up in the porch yowling. Tiny little thing; so loud it was almost paranormal. My wife picked it up, took one look at it, and our family instantly grew by one more critter.

And you know what? She hasn't shut up since! (The cat, not my wife. Mostly. *Shock*)

Great job capturing how much you cared for your own animal by being the first to investigate. "I'll set the dog on you!" Hell with that, I'll protect my dog from the burglar, not the other way around!

I loved this slice of life.


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PS: As I write this, the cat is downstairs, around a corner, three rooms away, and I can still hear her yowling! *Explode*
9
9
Review by Jeffrey Meyer Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  Open in new Window.
Rated: E | (5.0)
GreenLion,

I was immediately captured by your title. I think we sometimes underestimate how important a title is to pull the reader in off the street and encourage them to invest some time in our stories. This one grabbed me as I scrolled through the list.

The lingering dreams state you present here—whether it's a daydream or a dream that's still clinging to the mind from the night before—is a thing with which many readers should be able to identify. There are rituals in our lives, and for many of us, making coffee is one of them. And during rituals, we often zone out and lose our heads in the clouds...or in dreams.

The scene you set is wonderful. It's dynamic, but no frenetic. The speaker is slightly removed from the main action, sheltered behind the bar. Our narrator's focus is not the action, though; that's just wallpaper. The focus is The Girl.

The interplay between the male and female characters is right up my alley. It's suggestive, it's implied. It's looks and meanings and small movements. That type of presentation, whether in story or in life, makes the interaction so much more exciting for me. It's the transaction of "what if...?" And what is on the other side that coin? Why...almost!

As the coffee finishes and the daydream ends, you allow the reader to feel the disappointment of a missed connection, as well. We find ourselves back in our dens and offices and couches. Looking at our screens. Alone again.

And wondering if we should go make some coffee.

Nice writing, friend.


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10
10
Review by Jeffrey Meyer Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  Open in new Window.
Rated: E | (4.5)
Conrad,

On the subject of music, one could write volumes! (See what I did there? *Laugh*) But lets just talk about the few lines you have here.

It's not surprising that it is only in moments of peace that we find the majesty of music. What can we hear on a street of blaring horns and conflicting conversations? Certainly not the wonder of Vivaldi, or the glory of McCartney. We have a very hard time focusing when inundated by noise. So when it is gone, and we are left with just music, then we can focus.

But the noise grows as we grow, doesn't it? Internal noise as well as external noise, we are awash in a cacophony by our early twenties and buried under Babel by midlife, alone in a sea of overload. Then again, as you point out...not completely alone. Because the songs accompany us.

Referring to "Mr. Tambourine Man" was excellent shorthand to convey your longing for days that were simpler, days of "ago," and for wanting to hear, more than anything, the music from those days. I absolutely love the way you used this line.

I am very much reminded of Trisha Yearwood's song "The Song Remembers When." If you're not familiar with it, you might like to try it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AygRmWnow1w

Here's a challenge for you on this. As brief as it is, see if you shake it a little and make it a tanka. It seems like it would fit the form well: say one thing in one way, give it a slight turn, and present the same thing in a slightly different perspective.

In any case, this is another very nice piece, sir.


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11
11
Review by Jeffrey Meyer Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  Open in new Window.
Rated: 13+ | (4.0)
This brief poem holds a lot of wonderful images, Conrad. Each one is like a seed for its own vignette.

The power wires dangling in their shallow parabolic arcs on a summer day is universal enough for any reader to see it. I see the yellow lines of a subway platform, in the third line, an old wino too close to the edge for comfort.

"Cafeteria Catholics" has got to be one of the most apt expressions I've heard for the obligatory ritual of Catholic mass. The fact that you mention water instead of wine is a very subtle jab that miracles are not performed here. It hints that priests can't really perform miracles like changing water to wine; like everywhere else, you get what you get.

"Exposed at the naval" (By the way, it should be "navel." "Naval" means "having to do with a navy.") had me in two minds. I can definitely feel the visual glint of sun on a belly-ring. But this poem is about coming home, rediscovering. The navel is the point of umbilicus at the beginning of life, that thing that connects us. In this context, perhaps the sunlight of the navel is the epiphany of being reborn, reconnected back with home. Poetry is great, because even if you didn't intend that, I still got to feel it. *Wink*

I will admit that the "summit storefronts" missed me.

That last line feels like it could have come right out of a book of poems by Yeats or Frost. The wording is simply perfect. Although, I would suggest a semicolon instead of a comma. It separates the concepts a little more than just the pause of a comma.

This is a really evocative piece, Conrad. I'm glad you have returned.


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12
12
Review by Jeffrey Meyer Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  Open in new Window.
Rated: E | (3.5)
Chan,

I'm 50 now, and those days are far behind me...but not the feelings. Spoiler alert: the insecurity of adolescence doesn't ever completely go away, for many of us. *Frown*

From this poem, it seems you feel very isolated, even in crowds. I can identify too closely with that for comfort. At your age, I grew my hair out, donned the clothing of a tough guy, talked big. It was a disguise because I wasn't tough—I was just scared and depressed and confused. But it kept people at an arm's length. It was self-imposed isolation, but it was something I could control. It was my own way of running away while physically staying in one place.

What do you have here? Its nothing, its just the people,
Who doesn't care about you.

You might be able to look back in a few years and see that wasn't the case, that the people did care about you. Oftentimes, we can only see the quicksand we're in at the moment, not the people around us trying to think of ways to get us a stick to help us climb out of it. Then again, you might not—you know your situation best.

The thoughts of escaping are common to us all, so I'm really able to fit myself into the voice of this free verse poem.

Do you ever feel like to run away?

“Yes, always , everyday, every hour, every second. I want to run away.”

My, too, my friend. But my father once said (probably paraphrasing someone who was actually wise): "You never run from a problem; you just run into more, instead."

You've some mechanical errors in your writing that you might want to address or at least look at to help future writings.

~ In the third line, you have the form of "its." Because you are using the word as a contraction for "it is," you should use "it's." It's nothing, it's just the people...

~ Your inline punctuation is kind of all over the place. This makes it hard for the reader to accurately capture your feelings in each statement. For instance, the comma is misplaced in They pretend, they care but you know the truth. When placed there, the comma completely changes the meaning of this sentence to something very contradictory. Moving the comma over two words to the right puts the pause in the right place and separates the clauses into a properly contrasting statement: They pretend they care, but you know the truth.

~ There are a couple of issues with tense and plurality, as well. "...people, Who doesn't care about you." This should be "...who don't care about..." And in a similar instance, "...you was not raised..." should be "you were not raised"

There is a heavy metal song I used to listen to when I was going through these feelings in my own adolescence. You might find it helps express your perceptions and emotions as well. Time Does Not Heal: https://youtu.be/UBoO3VIUxyg?si=nkl0jEAiYB-7J77n

Things will get different, my friend. I hope they will get better; but I promise they will at least get different.

Best of luck, and lean on your pen to find catharsis. Do us all a favor, and Write On!


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13
13
Review by Jeffrey Meyer Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  Open in new Window.
Rated: E | (5.0)
Sumojo,

As usual, I'm late to view a good piece. But a piece like this is sadly timeless; it's not like that place will ever depopulate from its inhabitants.

This is a short gut punch from history. Sadly, so many have forgotten or were never told int eh first place. Every year, schools have to try to fit in one more year of history.

The brevity of this is its strength. In fact, there is some small interpretation possible for that very reason. I'm a veteran myself—peacetime; I served between wars/conflicts, so I never saw battle. Still, I have a different perspective than many civilians. And as I get older, the more I see the wastefulness of war and the tragedy of our gung-ho, idealistic, patriotic young men and women training for the ultimate futility. The glory of war is a lie, a "fallen lie." Thus, your poem hit me from two different slants.

Well-said, my friend.


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14
14
Review of Mystery Tour  Open in new Window.
Review by Jeffrey Meyer Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  Open in new Window.
Rated: 18+ | (4.5)
*Vomit*

Personally, I hate tours. I wanna look around by myself. That having been said, there are some places that is dangerous; I have the uncanny ability to walk myself directly into the worst parts of town. I did that in Cincinnati once, walked into the roughest part of town wearing my business casual attire. Like Bill Burr said, I think they were more surprised to see me than I was scared.

Happened again in Malaga, Spain. My friend and I were on liberty from the ship (we were in the Marines at the time), and we were just jabbering away in some conversation. Next thing you know, we're in a dim section of down where they're re-facing a church that has graffiti all over it, people are looking all scruffy.

All of which has nothing much to do with your story, except that's what called up these memories.

Nice, memory-evoking writing, my friend! Between you and Jacky Author Icon, a fella has his work cut out for him in this fun daily contest, and I'm happy to be kept on my toes!

--Jeffrey
15
15
Review by Jeffrey Meyer Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  Open in new Window.
Rated: E | (3.5)
Samantha,

This is a short, painful piece, and it packs a lot of punch.

A family rift that has grown like the Hatfields and the McCoys dominates the background of this piece without ever really being explored. It's very effective in inviting the reader to fill in the blanks of their own family quarrels. And it warns the reader of how far those quarrels can go.

Samantha not expecting the depth of her mother's conviction for her art also demonstrates for us how the disregard and disrespect in a family can go in both directions.

Some of the people in my family will simply not come pick up gifts that were bought for them. For six months or more. If it was me, I'd give the stuff to someone else, but it's Mom that buys them and then gets hurt by the grandkids not even bothering to come get the gifts. I was able to identify with that part of this narrative, and it hurt.

I'm afraid I get a little lost at the end. I think the closing paragraph is telling the reader that Samanthas mother, with whom she has a negative or toxic relationship, chose to write a book about someone other than Samantha, but someone close to Samantha—and that this deeply hurts Samantha's feelings. If this is the case however, I don't think Samantha would continue reading "another day," except maybe out of morbid curiosity. There is something significant about "Debi," but there is no context around it, unless it is simply the fact, again, that someone besides Samantha is featured in the book.

I have a couple of notes to offer at this point:

~ About halfway through you slip into first-person for a minute: "I think it caught them all off guard." You probably want to change that.

~ Consider using a larger size font. I like to use 3.5, but 4 is also nice. Using slightly larger line-spacing helps the reader, too. My old eyes get very squinchy trying to read the standard size of 3.

~ Feed the story; fatten it up. Provide some extra bits of backstory, even if it's just a sentence here or a sentence there. The more complete the scene int eh reader's mind, the more invested the reader can become. I fall into a similar trap all the time—I know what I mean, so the reader must know what I mean, as well! Eh...not so. So put some more flesh on the bones of this terrific (and hopefully cathartic) story.

In spite of what I did or didn't "get," this story conveys an emotional thump in the chest. And what else is the sharing of writing for except to make others feel? So you hit the nail on the head for that part.

Perhaps we will learn how Samantha took the rest of the chapters, some day. I'll bet whatever the story is, we readers will be blessed when you Write On!


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16
16
Review of Too Much Blue  Open in new Window.
Review by Jeffrey Meyer Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  Open in new Window.
Rated: E | (3.5)
Jeff,

This humorous piece reads like a companion to Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The idea of the universe being controlled by aliens/angels is fun, especially depicting the bureaucracy of heaven as inefficient. The tongue-in-cheek exploration of the Almighty also reminds me of C.S. Lewis' writing.

Planetary and species evolution being based on a mistake by one angel is not entirely without merit, as many scientists consider evolution a series of happy accidents that led to humankind.

The story arc was enjoyable, with some tangential humor about Todd and cake that sprinkled some flavor on the evolution/creation discussion of the subtext.

It's hard to critique mechanics in this one. There's a lot of creative license exercised, so classic rule only apply to certain parts. From what I observe, though, you stick to the rules of punctuation, tense, and sentence structure pretty closely.

With regard to presentation, I would suggest setting the statistical analyses apart a little better. You might find useful to reply on some of the formatting tools, such as boldface, size differences, indentations, even colors to make these sections stand out a bit more as a part of the story, but not exactly part of the narrative.

There's a couple interesting points to note.

~ Assuming the second visit took place in modern times, there are indeed "over 8 million" people. Closer to 8 billion. Not sure if that warrants updating or not, but I thought I'd point it out.

~ Unicorns and dragons are actually not so outlandish as to be unreal. In the King James Bible:
     Deuteronomy 33:17His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns...
     Psalms 18:8Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it.

I'm not sure if you picked these on purpose to demonstrate the diversity of God's creations or for a more humorous and outlandish aspect to the "controls" of creation. Either way, it sparked my attention.

Overall, this was a fun story to read, and it brightened my day when I read it; I thank you for that.

I hope to read more soon. And in order for me to be able to do that, you need to Write On, sir!
*Wink*

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Jeffrey
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17
17
Review by Jeffrey Meyer Author IconMail Icon
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Rated: E | (4.5)
Enthusiasm,

You create wonderful, unique worlds that one can somehow feel, but not bear to immerse oneself in. This particular world is angular and futuristic; somehow every description has taken on parallel and perpendicular juxtapositions for me. Man, I hope I don't drop my coffee in the solarium.

But I'm getting ahead of myself...

...And I'm also out of coffee. Dammit. Well, here we go anyway.

At first blush, we are presented in incredible sci-fi world, much like The Matrix. However, I have to wonder if this is sci-fi or sci-emo. This scene could be virtually internal, as well. We have some clues that it is external: "neural lace," "terabytes of trauma data." But in one interpretive sense, I also see this as a person lost in the world of cyberspace, all but integrated into the world of scrolling, inundated by bad news, traumatized by negative messaging and targeted hatred, and attuned to Evelyn. In this context—which is the one that fits this reader best—Evelyn has passed away in an untimely and/or violent manner, perhaps even as a suicide.

The speaker is once again in stasis (static) unable to move forward past the memories of Evelyn. His consciousness wants to move forward as he plays the dissonant notes of grieving; but his subconscious is not ready. The grief he tries to feel is not adequate to lift the numb apathy of shock.

Your use of biblical references is fascinating, as always.

Leviathan: You describe the main character's surroundings, his city, his shocked mental environment as "Leviathan," which is the powerful negative creature referenced in the Christian Bible.

Caelum: Caelum, which represents the heavens in biblical references, interprets the same in this story: heaven, open air, freedom, freshness, escape. Aris longs for this escape from self-purgatory, but is unable to accept it, trapped by his leviathan of guilt. But his memories of the enjoyment under the stars, presumably with Evelyn, are sharp and cutting within him.

Evelyn: The character of Evelyn is carved in negative space, which you so expertly achieve in many of your works. Her name is suspiciously close to "Eve." Leviathan and Caelum were created in the beginning; so was Eve. Biblically speaking, Eve was succumbed to temptation and began the cycle of sorrow on Earth. Perhaps this points to an act on Evelyn's part—suicide, perhaps, or even having succumbed to the temptation of addiction leading to overdose—which has begun this seemingly unbreakable cycle of sorrow for Aris.


Once again, you refer to memories in a very negative tone. Eve admonishes Aris to let her memory rot. This seems to imply that memories of her are a trap, part of the guilt-sorrow-penance cycle Aris seems trapped in. When a memory rots, we hurt, we feel pain, we grieve. Aris is unable or even unwilling to grieve at this point. His isolation in this state is nicely painted in the beginning as "bespoke vacancy."

His visions of Evelyn are disjointed, but marred. She is beautiful except for slightly misapplied makeup—her perfected memory damaged by something. The tube of lipstick represents her elegance as well as her fall. The smudge of it left behind resembling blood reinforces my theory that she died violently or suddenly. (Perhaps there was something in her passing that was related to her mouth? Drink? Pills?)

The dissonant notes on the piano remind me of groans and moans of a person in shock as they try to scream...but can't. Although, this could also represent a small step forward. He has made a decision to scream that next scream rather than remaining in the protective cocoon of shock. The jagged note on the piano makes the image of Evelyn go away, though remnants of that memory remain in the smudge of the lipstick. Perhaps Aris is slowly—painfully and slowly—emerging from shock and guilt.

I may have gotten this all wrong this time, but the story strikes me again as one of self-isolation, guilt, sorrow, and the turbulent, turgid journey to become free and whole again.

Mechanically, I have to note that the change in fonts tripped me up. Since it only changed once in the story, there was no context as to why it changed. Probably indicating a change in thought process and then settling back into the familiar pattern. Well, maybe. I guess one notch in the armor of this piece ain't so bad, right?

This story is sprinkled with your usual double-layers and analogous contexts. It is a stunning piece of work that I am happy to come back to again and again.

Fantastic work, my friend.

This review offered by
Jeffrey
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18
18
Review by Jeffrey Meyer Author IconMail Icon
Rated: 18+ | (4.0)
This jerk is ANYTHING but noble! I enjoyed the way the tables got turned on him. This kept me guessing, with each asinine things he said, how he would get his comeuppance. Good job keeping me reading and keeping me engaged.

Personally, I'm convinced: if Adam had to have the kids, they would have stopped at Able, period!

--Jeffrey
19
19
Review of Eccentrics Galore  Open in new Window.
Review by Jeffrey Meyer Author IconMail Icon
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Rated: 18+ | (5.0)
Oh my goodness! I actually laughed out loud to that. That was wonderful! You know, I just saw something on the History Channel about a town that that WAS almost exclusively "sideshow acts" in the circus heyday. I think it was in Florida. Anyway, that lent a nice root of reality to your piece.

The ending was perfectly timed and delivered. Loved it!

--Jeffrey
20
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Review of Childhood  Open in new Window.
Review by Jeffrey Meyer Author IconMail Icon
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Rated: E | (3.5)
Nightblue,

Childhood is so variable. As you state throughout the poem, there is a lot of contrast in experiences, moods, emotions.

I would challenge you a bit, for this poem, to make me feel it more. Remind me of what my childhood was like by putting some of yours on the page. Put me on the ground rather than the 30,000 foot view.

Also, moving forward, don't be afraid of longer lines in poetry. You can build more interesting rhyme and rhythm structures, and/or simply convey a more robust message. Now don't misunderstand, brevity is often a poem's strength: concise, punchy. But for a poem like this, it is this readers opinion that you have room to expand it horizontally.

This is a fantastic topic for poetry, my friend. I certainly hope you write on!


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21
21
Review of WYRM  Open in new Window.
Review by Jeffrey Meyer Author IconMail Icon
Rated: 18+ | (5.0)
Just out of curiosity, is this based on Orson Scott Card's Wyrms? If not, you should give the novel a try; it's pretty interesting.
22
22
Review by Jeffrey Meyer Author IconMail Icon
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Rated: E | (5.0)
Tessgii,

It's the words we bite back and the tears we don't cry in front of people that haunt us worse than any ghost of the past. Everybody knows it; everybody feels it. And for that reason, everyone can identify with this sad poem.

There were some beautiful lines in here:

~ "Why you made it so easy to let me go" That's almost a riddle unto itself. What is unclear to the speaker in the poem is not why it was easy to let go, but why the other person designed it to be so or caused it to be so easy to let go. That's a step further into hurt, and such a great line.

~ "In the cracks of my chest" The pain of losing someone is still too clear to me, even though it has been years. It does feel like something is broken in one's chest, and ache or a hollowness. Your line conveys the brokenness of emotions with that unequaled pain of loss; but it doesn't get flowery with heartbreak or other trite phrases. The reader is left to feel what those cracks truly mean.

~ "They weigh more than I can hold" This is a line that takes some thought. If the unspoken words weigh more than the speaker in the poem can hold, then she must say them at some point. The reader is left to interpret this. Does she get these words out in therapy? To a friend? Through self-harm? Personally, I see her standing in her living room and screaming and sobbing at the walls two or three days a week, when it all gets too heavy. But that's the magic of poetry: room for interpretation.

Your mechanics are good and consistent throughout this poem. You use punctuation in the same way throughout, and your stanzas are broken nicely into individual images or thoughts that allow us, as readers, to take a breath and a snapshot before moving forward.

This is a very good poem, Tessgii, restrained and controlled, but evocative of all the sudden partings readers have been through. Bravo!


This review offered by
Jeffrey
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23
23
Review of Mothers  Open in new Window.
Review by Jeffrey Meyer Author IconMail Icon
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Rated: E | (4.5)
Jacky,

The patience of mothers far supersedes that of us men, doesn't it? This humorous vignette highlights one of the virtues of motherhood using the negative space of the father's temporary solo parenting.

Nice flash of domestic life!

--Jeffrey
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24
Review of Illogic  Open in new Window.
Review by Jeffrey Meyer Author IconMail Icon
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Rated: E | (3.0)
Very cute. However, it can be beefed up a little.

I know, I know: it's just a joke, and you can lose your listener's attention if you carry on too long. I agree—BUT...

...This isn't an oral joke, it's a written one. You can definitely build a cute little story around this. It's a great opportunity to practice a flash fiction piece: 300 words or fewer. Just as writing a review is good practice, drabbles (100 words or fewer) and flashes are excellent opportunities to practice the craft, too!

This is a funny piece of writing, but every piece of writing is an effort that deserves attention. Even if it's not an update of this piece, I hope you Write On!

--Jeffrey
25
25
Review by Jeffrey Meyer Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  Open in new Window.
Rated: E | (5.0)
Tokeo,

We usually write poems about what we didn't get to have, what we lost. This poem lamenting someone else's loss is quite beautiful. I'm not sure if this was just a relationship separation or something worse; to me, it rather seems that one person is saddened by someone having taken their own life. In either context, it is a very strong poem.

The repetition of "We would've" keeps the reader tightly reminded that these things never happened, but they had a chance to happen. There was a permanent loss somewhere which makes me think of suicide—"stolen away from me", "didn't have the time"—that prevented all these wonderful things.

Quite a wonderful, if sad, poem.


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Jeffrey
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