#11

I'm not a real fan of free verse, but work like this may convert me. Here's what I see in this.

Some wonderful imagery here; my favorites "graffiti [on] our self-celled walls" and "the groping, grasping vines of social norm", in part because they roll so wonderfully off the tongue when spoken aloud. Precise word choice throughout.

The first stanza strikes me as a particularly strong introduction. From this and the next two stanzas, I get a sense of pride mounting to arrogance, of disdain and scorn, of self-aggrandizement countered by self-contempt.

I did notice the redundant use of "bound" in line 8. Perhaps another word choice for the first instance. Confined? Constrained?

The fourth stanza is a break, shown by the extra lines, by the interruption of the rhythm, and by a more philosophical tone.

BTW, Cogito ergo zoom made me chuckle: I think, therefore I online video conference. Not sure if the average reader would recognize "Cogito ergo moveto" which would mean, "I think therefore I must move". I believe future imperative is the correct tense, but my Latin classes were decades ago. Anyway, that's just my reaction. Maybe nobody else would connect zoom to Zoom.

The rhyming couplet at the end adds a contrasting simplicity and humility in both the rhyme and the word choice. It is as though an arrogant rant has run out of steam and recognized its limits.

My review has been submitted for consideration in "Good Deeds Get CASH!" .