This is nicely rhymed and I like the touches of humour despite Felix being a furry killing machine. Sharing is just a cat's way of showing love as I'm sure you're already aware. This little poem beautifully captures the essence of kitties and their relationship to those who care for them.
This is an interesting little piece, and I like the concept of a witch sleep-casting. These characters deserve to be given a long piece, so that they could develop.
One small typo, Only if you cone with me ..." should be "Only if you come with me ..." I think.
I think an astrolabe needs slightly more than a glance to be used by the way, but it's a cool alternative to a clock, and so adds to the 'witchy' feel, so it works (apart from pedantic remarks from certain reviewers ).
Hope to see more of Leah and Bridget in the future.
There are of course also C.O.B,s of the female persuasion (Crazy Old Bags), whose stereotypical depiction involves a lot of cats. Suspiciously many of these sound like Terry Jones of Monty Python fam.
What a great concept, I love how you've handled this prompt, and can see why it's a winner. Intriguing that in this story it is Life who is if not the bad guy, then at the very least hardly providing a full picture of what is involved with his offer. I could imagine this as a lead into a longer story, maybe Brad would meet some of the other victims, is everything Life told them true? I think that is what makes this so good, it leaves me as a reader wanting more.
A talented man, but also very lucky to have a poet as a friend, so he is still remembered, and others learn of him and his talents.
I had come across 'canard' before, but couldn't remember exactly what it was, though the context made guessing easy enough before I checked. The first verse is my favourite, and this is a neat and thoughtful little poem.
This is a cute little tale, and I especially love the idea of there being many Chapters/Divisions of the Groundhog Union. Surprising that Chester didn't also take umbrage at the 'Woodchuck' appellation, but he had his priorities right.
You convey your love of bananas very effectively in this short piece. We generally only see one type of banana in the UK supermarkets, though other kinds can be found in smaller shops sometimes. I like making banana bread with over-ripe fruit, and mashing them into porridge makes a wonderful breakfast. Thanks for sharing this lovely insight into this important foodstuff.
In my one sentence review of this piece I will pass over the fact that some of these are quite long sentences, as it might wind up a case of the pot calling the kettle, and besides it's a fun idea, brilliantly executed by your good self, I was very pleased to see 'Aelita, Queen of Mars' in there, although my favourite review has to be for the terrific, 'Everything Everywhere All At Once', so, no complaints here and I look forwards to Part Two!
Sadly, you aren't alone in feeling the stress these days. Knowing that never helps, (at least I don't think it does), but hang on in there Sir. You have a lot of talent, and you are definitely valued by many in WDC, both for your newsfeed contributions, and your writings in general. There are always those who will kick back against things that personally affront them, ignoring them is the very best response. Glad that you are managing to see your strengths. Personally I think I survive sometimes because I'm a terrible coward, whatever works I guess.
Your piece admirably illustrates how a song can become entwined with a memory. This works two ways, with the song ever after evoking the emotional impact of the event when it is heard, and it itself being coloured by those memories, (in this case sadly tarnished).
My first experience of this was having just bought Bowie's cover of 'Wild is the Wind', and playing it, when my mother came in and told me that my grandmother had just died. Can't hear it now without remembering that.
Your ruthful autobiographical piece is well written in an accessible and intimate manner, and left me hoping that you subsequently found someone to share joyous music with.
'Summertime' is a favorite song, though I confess I have never heard this version of it before. Have to say, I loved it.
Your poetry blended biography with emotion. Free verse done well, (like it is here), is a pleasure to read, and re-read. You captured the power of Joplin's voice, the channeling of powerful emotion with a smattering of Gershwin's lyrics. You allude to her untimely demise, and tie that in to a terrible sense of loss.
It's a great poem, but these lines especially stand out for me:
"And what have they to do
With singing Summertime? And yet
And yet they did
And bent the knee of rock
Before the Blues"
A first class entry. Thank you for introducing me to this version of the song, and more so, for your wonderful poem.
What a beautiful tale, with the sort of magic that brings tears when it's read. I have to say I hoped the ending might be what it was, and I was so pleased you did go for such a happy conclusion.
I did spot an oddity that had been left in the story:
The paragraph that begins 'I love performing for young children', ends with ' {/linespaceer'.
Sadly you won't be able to remove that now until after judging, but it isn't something I'd mark anyone down for, (too prone to typos myself).
I always enjoy watching instruments being played, which was why the title of the contest was 'Sound & Vision'. Your poem beautifully ties into your video pick, how do drummers manage to make it look so easy?
Blending the words of the song being played, 'Yellow Bird', into the poem was a clever idea. It tied the poem closely to the video. Your own words capture the interaction of the dancing sticks with the drums and other percussive instruments and illustrated some of the intricacy of the drumming. The snatches of rhyme add to the interest when reading the poem aloud, (which I did). Very impressive entry.
I loved the video that inspired your piece, which was equally dark and brooding. A short, scary monologue that was enough to convey a disturbing mind making scary decisions. The only criticism I have is that it was very short, and I'd have liked a bit more flesh on the bones. I think I know what the piece is about, but I'm not 100%.
I have to confess that this is not a review, but instead a reply to your work.
Perhaps the way to view this, is that with a secure job, you have the ability to resource your creative side. You may think that you have no time for your chosen art(s), but this is probably not the case. If your life seems too busy to find time for art, then examine it closely. You don't work all the time, so sacrifice something else that you do in your leisure time, and do art instead. Even a half hour a day would add up over time.
Do the art because you love doing it, not as an alternative to your work. Making money from your art is of course possible, but I would suggest, only if you are truly passionate about what you do will this be possible. If you do it because you love it, that will show, and if you regularly spend time on your art, it will develop and get better and better as you become more skilled.
There are lots of platforms for people to share their art, and of course lots of people doing just that. Most of them perhaps are secretly hoping for the big break, but a better aim is to do something because of the satisfaction that it gives you personally.
Can you devote all your time to your art? It is possible, but it isn't necessary to do so to get started. Build your skills, hone your talent, more importantly ENJOY what you do. The satisfaction comes from making something wonderful that you are proud of. Anything else will follow from this.
Sad to say - if you want to spend all your time on art, this is work. You need to research all the possible markets, you need to know how potential buyers decide who to buy from. You need of course something worth selling. You need to know how to sell what you produce.
I'm not trying to put you off at all. Only if you put all your effort into your art could you make a living from it. My point is - don't expect to go from nothing to that all in one go. It isn't likely to happen. Spend as much free time as you can on your art,in all aspects - i.e. don't neglect to research the market as well. But mainly get all the satisfaction that you can by being the artist you want to be.
This is beautiful, and I'm slightly embarrassed to say, it brought tears to my eyes. I love the mystery hidden in your words. I especially love the sense of caring, and selfless love the Jester expresses. There are many horrors in the world, but your poem reminds us there is also love.
Such a clever idea, to break up the name and expand each part so beautifully. The second stanza is perfect, with the in-line rhyme of core and bore, and the conjuring up of ancient pent up energies released.
The giant gulp of the fourth stanza pushes the poem on, capturing the power involved. Then you describe the wave, the sudden imposition of destruction. I feel the proper word to describe your poem is 'awesome', in the proper sense of invoking awe in the reader. An awesome poem, from a Master poet.
When I was trying to get through the NaNoWriMo last year, I set myself goals for each day, but also specific rewards for reaching those goals. The first week completed I treated my wife and myself to a cup of coffee and biscuits at a favorite shop, the next week a kebab take out that I especially enjoy. The rewards weren't big or especially expensive, but they did act as an incentive. Hope that helps. Do you have anyone that you trust who has PayPal and could take payment to for you, sorry I'm sure you've thought of that already. I hope matters improve for you.
I really like this spirit infested poem. Something I did notice is that part of it is directly addressed to the ghost, and the rest to the reader. Because of this divide I think there should be a break between the lines 'nowhere to go', and 'even though'. This could reasonably replace the break between 'to leave' and 'she lingers', which feel as though they belong together. Those quibbles aside, you capture the gentle haunting beautifully. Thanks for sharing this, if this is the sort of standard you have, then it's great news that you are writing again.
Garden paths indeed, how I was led! I loved how misleading this short piece is. It seemed that it was going to be dark, maybe even very dark, but I'm afraid nothing had prepared the causal reader for the horrors of dirty laundry. This is a great example of how much can be achieved with very few words, artfully arranged. Thank you for the chortle and the smile.
Having read this post, I then followed the link and read all of the '4 Études written in November'. Your words convey, (to me), a melancholy mood, which is reflective and inward looking. Each sentence suggests self awareness, and accumulated wisdom. The final part, which this posting reproduces communicates a little of that wisdom. Nothing seems laboured, economically you describe the day, and then the mystical significance of the leaping frog. Taken as a whole, I found this a fascinating work.
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