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Review of Ice Cream Lips  Open in new Window.
Review by Jeffrey Meyer Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  Open in new Window.
Rated: 18+ | (5.0)
Conrad,

This is a lovely poem. That opening line is simply amazing. The relief we feel as we share the feeling of our feet going from tropical sands to cool water... The first two lines in the second stanza are rather suggestive, with mentions of pink pearls and samples of a girl--but that could be my own dirty mind at work.

"Has the moment passed for this float to last?" If we share the moment, it passes us by so quickly; but if we take it and savor it and look at it from every facet and how it makes us feel...well, we can't really share that, can we? And so the time we enjoy passes, and we wonder if we really enjoyed it or if we wasted it. That's what this line communicated to me, and it's a deeply philosophical thought.

I feel the kiss parting in the second-to-last line, the romantic time ending. But I wonder about that last line. Did the writer give his prospective lover just a glimpse of the tasty treat of love? Or did he only barely glimpse the woman, seeing only the romantic fun and not the true person beneath? One is not sure...

An absolutely stunningly visual poem, this is one of my favorites this year. Brilliant, my friend.

--Jeffrey


*Gemo*  *Ribbono*  *Gemo* A SuperPower Reviewers Choice review! *Ribbono*  *Gemo*  *Ribbono*
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Review by Jeffrey Meyer Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  Open in new Window.
Rated: ASR | (4.0)
John,

Everything I read seems to remind me of something already written. This reminds me of Stephen King's Niebolt Street house from It, or the Dutch Hill Mansion in The Waste Lands. (And that's not a bad yard stick against which to be measured at all.) This has kind of a reverse Alice in Wonderland feel to it, also, although I doubt the Red Queen would be quite so imperious to this version of Alice.

I liked the story, let me be clear, but I felt it had been told before. (As a personal aside, that's one of the reasons I write so infrequently anymore: everyone's already had my ideas.) I propose that there is something unique you could find to insert here, some unexpected way Clara interacts with the Other Side or some feature of house. I was wondering if the hallway was going to terminate in a door to... well, somewhere "else."

One thing I have to note is that the use of asterisks was not helpful. Try italics or quotes. I know the asterisks are used in text and chat syntax--but not in writing.

A final thought: I am wondering if you used the name "Clara" to imply a clarity or inclarity to the images in the mirror. That might be just be me being me-ish, but I find it nicely intriguing!

This was not a bad story at all, John. If you do decide to make any edits, of be very interested to read it again.

Keep it up, sir. You're heading in the write direction!

--Jeffrey


DISCLAIMER: I ain't nobody special, just one guy who read your story and had some thoughts. They are meant to be respectful and encouraging.
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Review of K _  Open in new Window.
Review by Jeffrey Meyer Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  Open in new Window.
Rated: 18+ | (3.5)
Conrad,

Killer commentary, comrade! Cool connections, kick-ass consonant concert!

Okay, I'm done. Just had to get that out of my system.

I like this. You told me up-front it was nonsense, and it is...kinda. See, I don't believe in nonsense. I think nonsense is one of two things: too many ideas trying to push through at once, create a mental Babel; or complex feelings that are too large or too dense to articulate percolating from the undermind.

The references to Nirvana in the last half of the poem are interesting, especially mixed with drug terminology and allusions to mental illness. "Konor..." "Conrad..." Alter egos? Probably something a little more personal than I can glean from that, but there's something hiding in there. Cold water splashed on karmas seems to revive reality, in the next line.

It's also interesting that you chose the hard K for the focus here. It's a harsh sound, a forceful sound, but also a sound we stumble on sometimes. I can't see what the impetus was there, but it's interesting nonetheless.

See? To me, it's not nonsense. It's just a word-riot. An old ex-friend of mine once said a riot is the inarticulate scream of desperation from the voiceless masses. Or something like that. I'm glad to have had the opportunity to look out the window into the streets of writing and see your riot on display... whatever it was or was not intended to say.

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

I like to forget, when I'm not hearing or reading about it, that nonsense like this still goes on. I'm one of the lucky ones, you see; this isn't something I have to fight against, so it's something I can ignore most days.

Not that I SHOULD, mind you. And that is why poems like this are so important, to remind people like me that all is not well, all is not equal. I think you convey the message well, too, your frustration tempered by a tone of positivity. Personally, I am more likely to consider a writer's thoughts if they're presented this way, instead of me just being chastised.

Your rhyme and rhythm are nice and even, and I like the repetition of those last eight lines. In fact, may I be so bold as to suggest you put the first instance of those lines at the top? Perhaps separate them as an independent stanza, tightly bookending the rest of the message?

In any case, it is a not-too-harsh reminder of an all-too-real issue that is still unfortunately strong in our workplaces.

Good writing, Crystal.

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

I so very much hope to hear that Mitch officiates your wedding!!!

Okay, so my reviews aren't always structured. They're very stream of consciousness, as if we're both sitting your creative space in that old theater, mugs of coffee in hand, swapping stories and projects. They're very organic, albeit chaotic at times, perhaps. The one thing they always are, or are meant to be, is respectful and encouraging. Also, it's just one guy's opinion written here. Don't take what I say as too important. Lord knows, no one else does. *Rolling*

My Opinions:
This is a happy scene with an even happier ending. What more can I say? Well, let's see if I can answer that... *Wink*

Your Writing:
I have reviewed a few pieces recently where I prompted the author to make the story apply to me, as the reader. You have demonstrated how easily this can be done: "...ripe for sharing with all of you." POOF! Now I'm part of the story; now I'm in the back row of the audience going "Damn! If this guy balks and says 'no,' sh!t's gonna get hairy!" From the very start, I want to the read the rest of it to see how it includes me. Readers are selfish, and it's important our writing recognizes and accommodates that. The arc--or arcs, in this case--were well defined. In one short piece, you've made sure to take us up and down more than one hill:

~Things are getting better as you write this (top of the hill)
~After your house burned up (*Frown* bottom of the hill, hard)
~And finding a new place has been arduous (back up the hill)
~Yet your partner has been there to help you through it (top of the hill again)
~So you asked him to marry you! (whoosh! down the hill again, but in a different way)
~And he said yes! (Bottom of the hill and into the station)

What a ride! We get a complete story in relatively few words. I admire brevity (though you can tell I'm not great it; imagine having to endure an actual conversation with me!) and the concentrated impact of emotion it can bring. That having been said, I do wish you had drawn out the suspense of the proposal a little to wring some suspense and make us understand how nervous you must have been.

Mechanical Musings:
The only mechanical mistake I see that stands out is a small spelling error I've been chuckling about since I finished. You might want to "share the plans with all of" us, not "share the plans with [the] ass of" us! *Laugh**Laugh**Laugh**Laugh*. From a personal standpoint--mind you, this is technically neither correct nor incorrect, just maybe something to "hmm" about--your choices for where and when to use CAPS and bold were actually a little distracting to me; and I would also consider using quotes or italics or hyphens in Dreams Come True in the first line.

My Suggestions/Ideas/Comments/Things that make me feel like I'm better than everyone and so I just have to say them:
~Have you thought of keeping a blog on here? The last two of your pieces have read very much like blogs--combination journal entry and newspaper editorial column. (We might be the last generation to even know what the hell that is. *Frown* Whenever I think of the latter, I think of Erma Bombeck, who actually lived in just the next city up from me when I was growing up. She was absolutely hilarious; what's more, she was so interesting that everyone wanted to live her life with her. A lot of us would like to experience your life with you. Give it some thought?

~Give us a chuckle or a tear. You can tell I'm a smartass, and even though not everyone shares my particularly left-of-center style, even an eye-roll can keep a person interested from more than one perspective. Make me smile, make me cry, make me wanna punch some a$$4ole in the face for acting "that way" toward you. Make me feel, even more than you already do.

~Don't send me hate mail, and don't use my bio picture on a voodoo doll.

The world could use a lot more love and joy, but each of us can only do a little at a time. This was a great, peaceful summation for your personal piece. I'm glad I had an opportunity to read and comment about it this morning.

Best wishes, my friend. And we do want to keep up with your progress and status and memories, so...Write On!

--Jeffrey

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

Frequently, I encourage other writers to end on a forward-looking note or a tone of hope, to invite the reader back comfortably. You ended this on a very positive note, but unusual, in a good way. You are welcoming peace. Not a new and exciting life full of globetrotting and adventure seeking; you are welcoming peace! That brings me, as a reader, into a calm space where I feel welcome to share more of your work. From a writing standpoint there is a juxtaposition of action (the active verb of "welcoming") and passivity (the stationary, non-active noun of "peace") there that balances itself out very artistically. It's a little thing, but very important.

"I cannot imagine things not going according to all of the work I have done to manifest this." My family and I tried moving to Ireland around a decade ago. It had to work; we couldn't conceive of it failing because we had worked so damn hard for it! Spoiler alert: it didn't work out. As a chronic pessimist, reading such lines as you use here give me anxiety. ("Failure is not an option!" Wanna bet?) I hope every day, moving forward, for you proves me wrong on that!

There were other lines that rang in my head and touched personal experiences, also. These are so important for the reader to be able to really identify, to get down into a story or blog or essay.

~"No more waiting for the other shoe to drop."

~"There is a stark difference between the two sleeping arrangements. Both have their positive attributes." (That one's complicated.)

~"I envision my first night in my own space..."


Mechanically, your writing is solid. The theme is coherent and the thoughts are well organized and presented, thank God. Reading one great big bulldog paragraph that jumps around and should actually have been 6 paragraphs is less than fun, so I appreciate your structure, as a reader, more than you can know.

Overall, this is a peaceful piece, making it quite nice as one of the last things to read before bed. Well done.

--Jeffrey Meyer


[NOTE: I edited this review and rating.]
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Review by Jeffrey Meyer Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  Open in new Window.
Rated: E | (4.0)
Samantha,

Frequently, I encourage other writers to end on a forward-looking note or a tone of hope, to invite the reader back comfortably. You ended this on a very positive note, but unusual, in a good way. You are welcoming peace. Not a new and exciting life full of globetrotting and adventure seeking. You are welcoming peace. That brings me, as a reader, into a calm space where I feel welcome to share more of your work. It's a little thing, but very important.

"I cannot imagine things not going according to all of the work I have done to manifest this." My family and I tried moving to Ireland around a decade ago. It had to work; we couldn't conceive of it failing because we had worked so damn hard for it! Spoiler alert: it didn't work out. As a chronic pessimist, reading such lines as you use here give me anxiety. ("Failure is not an option!" Wanna bet?) So it introduces some tension/conflict, but it didn't "turn" the narrative, as I thought it might, in a climactic sense.

There were other lines that rang in my head and touched personal experiences. These are so important for the reader to be able to really identify, to get down into a story or blog or essay.

~"No more waiting for the other shoe to drop."

~"There is a stark difference between the two sleeping arrangements. Both have their positive attributes." (That one's complicated.)

~"I envision my first night in my own space..."

Mechanically, your writing is solid. The theme is coherent and the thoughts are well organized and presented, thank God. Reading one great big bulldog paragraph that jumps around and should actually have been 6 paragraphs is less than fun, so I appreciate your structure, as a reader.

Were I too offer a critique, I would note that there is no arc. This reads more like a blog or journal entry, neither of which are bad, just not what one expected.

Overall, this is a peaceful piece, making it quite nice as one of the last things to read before bed. Well done.

--Jeffrey Meyer


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Review of "8 x 8"  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)
Nick,

This immediately made me start writing my own version in my head, which is quite a compliment from me. It means I am immediately interested and that I wish I had had the idea first. In fact, I may rewrite it myself (perhaps from another piece's perspective) and share it with you, just for the fun of it. Probably not, because I'm lazy--but maybe!

Okay, this was pretty cool from the start. However, when it became metaphysical, I really got into it. There is so much possible metaphor here, and perhaps you intended it. I feel a strong socioreligious statement being made about free-will, divine will, divine intervention, and deceit.

If the Players had been somehow referred to, even obliquely, as God and the Devil--man, this would have been off the charts. It's still really good, but I have to project what I want it to be about to make it work that way.

There's a couple of writing choices I would encourage.

~First, use standard chess notation: Queen's Knight, King's Bishop, King's Rook, etc. This could give all of the pieces, including the main subject, more anthropomorphic character--because now they have references in the reader's mind. They're not just game pieces; instead, suddenly they're the kings and queens we've read about, the knights in the old stories. And they have relationships with other pieces. "King's Knight--" is he of a different temperament than the "Queen's Kight?" Does this mean the Queen and King might have different personalities, different agendas, regardless of the Players' intent? That kind of touches on free will/predestination, too.

~Second, perhaps offer some brief exposition that somehow makes each square an actual distance, maybe 100 meters. Putting in specified distance per square sets the scene as concrete in the reader's mind, how far apart the armies and characters are, the amount of work they have to go through to move and attack. The reader can step back and see the whole board, so to speak.

~(Also, I didn't like Quiggly's name, but that's his mom's fault, not yours.)

The ending was brilliant, I thought, because it's the White King that is the instrument of deceit, whereas we have been historically trained to see the Man in Black as the sinister. It jars the reader and makes them think; and then one wonders, if this is indeed intended as socioreligious commentary, what is being said about whom...perhaps the suggestion is that God is as manipulative as the Devil? Hmm...

Great piece, Nick. Bear in mind, now, these are just my own opinions. They are meant to be encouraging and helpful. If they're not, ignore me...just please don't a bunch of bishop-murdering pawns after me!

Write On, Nick. Please, Write On!

--Jeffrey
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Review of Random Thought  Open in new Window.
Review by Jeffrey Meyer Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  Open in new Window.
Rated: E | (2.0)
Madam,

While your statement is neither inaccurate nor incorrect, I believe it is incomplete. Or, rather, it could be more complete.

Here, try this: imaging me standing next to you. Now imagine you telling me what you've written here.

Now I say, "Yeah? And...?" Now what do you say? (Hopefully it's not a string of four-letter words suggesting radical, though impossible, antics I should pursue alone in my room.)

As selfish as it is on behalf of readers, we want the story to be about us, to touch us, to move us. Why do I care that the tapestry of your life is diverse? Make me care. Make me ask more questions; make me ask for more details so we can compare and contrast and have a conversation.

After this review, you should also feel free to tell me to go to h***, I guess. But I'm not trying to be a jerk. I really am hoping to give you anything I can to help you make your writing even just a tiny bit better.

I'm interested to see if you expand on this--very interested. Write On!

--Jeffrey
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Review of It Figures  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)
At least you had filet of sole for dinner, Jacky!

I actually experienced the lack of hanging space when I was in Ireland for a few months. Electric dryers were not available int eh building where I stayed, and it was rainy or misty quite often. Once we rigged up all these makeshift clotheslines to dry our clothes (by the heat of the coal fireplace--"heat"--we had no room to move!

You convey the sense of urgency well, although I'm personally not a fan of so many exclamation points. They're not wrong, it's just not my preference.

The way you wrap this up sums up most of my days: I saved the drink from falling over...but I broke a window, shorted out the stove, and sent my kid to the hospital int he process. ...Figures.

--Jeffrey
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Review by Jeffrey Meyer Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with RAOK Upgrade Brigade Group  Open in new Window.
Rated: E | (4.0)
Jen,

You have some exquisite imagery in this poem. The "crowded rooms filled with ghosts" is a very effective paradox with which to instantly grab the reader's attention. Juxtaposed to the second stanza's "permanent fixtures," we start to approach that conflicting mental state of delirium...

... But not quite, unfortunately. Delirium is what we can't write remember when we burned with fever or were absolutely buried under emotion. These lines certainly convey a confusion, but I personally did not feel the disjointed extremes of delirium.

But so what?! Call it poetic license. I only offer that as a constructive observation. But the poem is not the less for such "inexact vocabulary." I think this quite a good piece, demonstrating broad use of imagery and a good example of self-editing. You kept it brief, and that was a strength, in this case.

I'm glad this piece is my good-night story. It was a pleasant read, and I hope it inspires tonight's dreams...

--Jeffrey
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Review of Final Cracks  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)
BigSauce,

The other side of the of the face of depression is anger, I have learned. Instead of approaching the desire to become null through depression, you've captured this through the lens of anger. It was a great choice, I think, because it is quite the road less travelled. Using anger as the impetus gives a driving force to the narrative, as opposed to the passive decline of depression.

Not only can emptiness be too much to take, but so can anger, as mentioned. There are lines in here that suggest the person in the poem still has the energy to fight but knows that his opponents won't realize when they've been beaten. His final punishment to them is his own death.

"You can kill me like a dog and I will take it like a man"
"But I don't give a fuck; that gay is going straight to Hell"
"And the principal would laugh 'cause our dad owns half this town"

At the end, this person wants to see something beautiful before it's all over, but--presumably based on prior experience--he is doubtful it will happen.

My notes on the mechanics aren't much, I'm afraid. There's a certain disjointed aspect to the mind contemplating suicide, surely. Nonetheless, to convey the scene better, I suggest adding end-line punctuation. The 5-line stanzas are unusual, and I find them a nice departure from the inevitable sing-songy nature of quatrains and couplets.

It's one heck of a powerful piece, and angry piece. I think it's important for us to remember that it's not always sadness that drives a person past their breaking point, and in a case like this, a person does not always try to take others with them by shooting up the place. Very thought-provoking, my friend. Well done.

--Jeffrey

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

This last line is so wonderful, so inspiring. It's a much better variation of "count your blessings," to me.

This is a deeply personal piece, very honest and as vulnerable as it gets. I appreciate that honesty from a writer. Your depiction of your father's absence being harder in high school than just after it happened is important. It reminds the reader that loss will always be there, and that time passes...but it doesn't always heal; some wounds just get larger or smaller, throughout time. It is a relief to the reader that you have learned to accommodate the loss of your father in your everyday life, and very good technique for ending an essay with a positive resolution or forward-looking thought.

I think there's some ways to improve this.

~First would be to add line breaks between the paragraphs. It's pretty dense right now and intimidating to read. It might help to increase the font size, as well.

~Second, the paragraphs could re-ordered to give better flow to the piece. This particular reader felt that it skipped around a little.

~Finally, I suggest you omit "How did neoprene and salt redirect my life?" in the second-to-last paragraph. This whole essay is about how it changed your life, what it means to you, how it connects you to your father. You don't need that question stated; it is implied. And that beautiful final sentence answers it even we were too dense to ask it as we read.

My observations and comments are meant to be encouraging and helpful, never negative in any way; I hope you've found no offense in my critique of your very personal writing.

Thank you for inviting us in to witness some of your healing through writing. So that the healing may never end...Write On!

--Jeffrey
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Review of Ring, Ring  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,

That last line does it, as I'm sure you are aware. How clever and playful! Well done with a dialog-driven piece. If you've read any of mine, you know how badly I struggle with that. I think it's a great writing tool, and you've used it well.

The line about the spider living in the hair reminded me of that old movie with Sylvester Stallone and Dolly Parton, Rhinestone. Stallone says, when someone mocks his hair, "Yeah, it's a home for wayward spiders."

I have just one note, which might have made your task at limiting this to 300 wiords a bit easier. "Godmother" is one word. You would have had 6 more words left to play with! *GoLucky*

Fun story; congratulations.

--Jeffrey
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Review of skin and bone  Open in new Window.
Review by Jeffrey Meyer Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  Open in new Window.
Rated: ASR | (5.0)
Holy s***.

That hurts, bad. Man, the concentration of impact here is sharp, deftly done. And it's important, not just as honest self-realization and expression, but as a message to all of us, on either side of the poem.

I am reminded of a creative writing piece I read waaaaaaay back in high school. It was about teenage bulimia, and the only thing I remember is the last few lines. "I strip. I pee. I stand on the scale: 80 pounds. ...Just 80 more pounds to go."

Your poem is not specifically the same but has the same terrible impact on me--only much more concentrated.

It almost feels icky to offer any suggestions on this, but such is the nature of this site. The original rhyme has a very familiar sing-song rhythm to it. I wonder if sticking to that rhythm would give this better, more familiar flow in the readers' minds:

Sticks and stones ne'er broke my bones,
but words, they made me starve me...

I don't know, though; that kind of begs another couplet rather than just that third hammer-blow of a line, doesn't it? It's purely an academic observation in any case, not a finding of any type of fault.

This was pretty damn incredible, Nyxie. Maybe not a "pleasant" way to start my day, but certainly a powerful one.

Wow.

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

At the time of reading this, I am immediately reminded of the previews for Mickey 17, coming to theaters soon, where Robert Pattinson has to die over and over.

Why does Elliott have to die over and over? How is he being murdered repeatedly? Are they other people who just look like him? Are they dolls or dummies? Is he an android?

This is very cool. I really like the open-ended conclusion. Because we are left with those spooky questions. I think the different numbers of "attempts" is a nice touch, offering the reader a clue that there is some variety to Anna's methods, some more successful than others.

You mention this is a draft, but it's already pretty tight. The only place I see that could use some work in those last lines. Each character's lines could probably be merged into one paragraph. Here's what I mean. I know I'm taking liberties here, but it's meant to be constructive; please don't be offended.

Elliott's breath caught in his throat, and he felt something cold touch his spine. He turned, dread pooling in his stomach.

Anna stood in the doorway.

She tilted her head, and her smile was soft, loving. The way it always was. She blinked calmly at him and held up a fresh tape in her hand. The label was blank.

"I was really hoping you wouldn't find this," she murmured. "Not yet." She stepped inside, shutting the door behind her.

The lock snicked into place with sinister finality.

"I guess we have to start over."


This is just plain cool. I can't wait to see how you polish it up. One could say this story is...killer!

--Jeffrey
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Review of No Title Yet  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)
Laya,

Hope. So much is written about it. In my experience, hope rarely delivers, but it continues to inspire wonderful poems such as this.

Personally, I think spontaneous poems like this are awesome. I wrote one once, and it came out weird but oddly satisfying. I can feel the unplanned nature in this, I think. It wanders around and looks into some dark crevices before it finds what it wants to talk to me about: hope...or something else...

The imagery is strange and wonderful. As you move from darkness into light, usually representing an emergence from negative to positive, this poem depicts the opposite. You move from a void, where you know nothing, into a lighted place where you see terrible things that are apparently your fault, or that you perceive to be your fault. The only positive glimmer is that of hope, barely preventing the trees from being reclaimed by the void ground.

I wonder, though, if this poem is more about guilt than hope. If we consider nothing, in our own little void, we allow all manner of horrible things to happen because we are not stepping in to stop them; and when the light shines on what our negligence has allowed, blame shines fully on us...or at least it feels like that. And then the only recourse we have, no matter how feeble it is, is to hope things just "get better."

(The only real correction I can see in this piece is that the "a" in the first line should be "an.")

This is an intriguing and enticing poem. I'm glad I got to read it today, giving my mind something to chew on for the afternoon. If anything else comes to you while you're not thinking...Write On!

--Jeffrey
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Review of Dinner Plates  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)
Jennifer,

Wow. This poem is wonderful, let's get that out front. It has confidence and assurance that conveys a quiet honesty. It is poem is woven through with themes that could be used for better or for worse, depending on the poet's mood. In this case, the themes of routine, age, and even a little resignation are dealt with very much for the better.

The whole work references the cyclic nature of life: nightly dishes, years of dinners, peepers each spring. Repetition can become boring and stagnant. On the other hand, it can be extremely comforting and stable. It is that stability which comes through so strongly to me in this poem.

You have also conveyed, without using the word, a sense of peace. The dishwasher is always off. Sunset colors on her face. Graceful rhythm. And no one speaks--we are reading the author's thoughts, but no one in the poem speaks. The reader only hears the gentle running water, muted rhythmic clink of dishes, and the twittering of chickadees. The sense of closeness and calmness accomplished is remarkable.

As we watch this woman and her routine in the evening and morning, the vocabulary of the poem is familiar enough that we have enough room to see our own lives in parallel, to compare and contrast the actions and feelings in the poem with how we act and feel in those scenarios. "Am I content enough with my routines of life that I am unperturbed by being painted in tired shades? Do I live and act and think as someone who has learned to love herself?" We all will have different answers, but the style with which you have written this allows us to arrive at them intuitively, effortlessly, with our hearts.

The subject of age is another that is discussed by implication only. Phrases such as arthritic hands, every night, tired shades--even the mention of the bracelets that were gifts in Amsterdam-- give hints and reinforcements that this relationship is not a young one, and the spouses are mature. They do not seem "old," however. They both seem calm, mature, serene, stable. These words don't express well the positivity I feel from this aspect of your poem, but it's the closest I can come. (And isn't it a sign of great writing when you can't say exactly why something makes you feel a certain way? I think so.)

Your concluding metaphor is strong. The moon is a common comparison for all sorts of things, and the comparison of a moon and dish is nothing new. In my opinion, what gives this so much strength is that your moon represents her dish. And the metaphor is so effective because it is the only one in the poem. The eyes see, the body feels, the mind records...and then the soul interprets, compares, paints a picture...writes a poem.

Poems are mostly about feeling, but there's always a mechanical aspect to them, as well. I think you managed presentation and delivery very well. Using punctuation made it so much ore understandable: the reader does not have to try to figure out if this line was part of the one before, where complete thoughts separated, etc. As a reader, I appreciate that. Your stanzas were separated well, each one a consumable image--and not too many of them so as to fatigue the reader. One always looks for an opportunity to make productive suggestions, though, so I will offer that the commas in your last two stanzas might need some revision. That's a very complex sentence, if you take away the line breaks and look at it as such--a lot of clauses and phrases. I don't think it takes away from the poem one tiny bit the way it is, but...well, either I really like being helpful, or I'm one of the world's worst know-it-alls. *Wink*

I am very impressed with this poem. The length and vocabulary make it accessible and comfortable. The imagery is universal. The mood is calming, and the end is pleasantly thoughtful. But...those are just the words about why the poem is effective. I can't articulate the emotional impact this had on me. The closest I can come is that it made me feel peaceful and content, but there is much, much more.

I'm glad to have had the opportunity to start my day with this. Thank you for allowing us to borrow some of your peace for the day.

--Jeffrey



Reviewing signature for the B.E.A.R. Fund.
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Review by Jeffrey Meyer Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  Open in new Window.
Rated: E | (5.0)
Fifthwood,

I hope these last 11 years have brought you to safer place. I truly do.

This internal dialog hits very personally with me. Like so many millions of others, I struggle with depression. I'm doing alright, and I have professional support. But a few years before you wrote this, that was not the case.

There is yet hope... It's an odd perspective, maybe, but the internal struggle here is actually hopeful for me. At some point, that other voice just goes quiet. When one loses support of themselves, the downhill spiral gets disastrously steep. So your depiction of a person who still has their head far enough above the waterline to know there's a beach out there somewhere allows the reader to hold onto hope for the narrator. Another sign of hope is the word "safe," bookending this piece. "You're safe," he tells himself; "I'm safe," he reminds himself. Perhaps most promising of all is that the narrator "hopes" for positive things, rather than "doesn't want" negative things:

"I hope my co-workers will be nice to me." vs "I don't want my co-workers to be mean to me again."

"I hope the customers will be nice to me today." vs "I don't want the customers to be cruel to me again today."

The subtleties in our vocabulary are often subconscious markers of our mental state.

(...Hope you don't step on a friggin land mine, that is!) "Hiding," "quit," "crying," "alone." These key words remind us that were looking at a person in an emotionally isolated state, unstable and fragile. We can hope all we want, but your use of these words reminds us what the subject of this internal discussion already knows: that hope is far from reality. He or she knows close the edge is, knows how scary it feels to be driven an inch closer to it with every negative encounter. And that very feeling seems to try to swamp this person, as well.

A little further till safety... Fortunately, this person is looking forward to eking through their day toward the safety of their bed. Again, they still hope to survive each day. But the struggle you portray is realistic, full of giant mountains of fear that "normal" people see as road bumps. Every instance of needing to think or interact, to a depressed person, is like crossing a puddle of tar. It's exhausting, unpleasant, frightening--what if I get stuck in this and make it to safety?!

Rest restlessly and repeat. The subject recharges at the end of this dialog. How much, we don't know, but I'll bet it's only an emergency-level charge the next day. Sleep isn't rest at this point, it's just more hiding. But it's the goal of the day, and you've gotten the character there in an organic way. He's exhausted, sad, and fearful...but safe.

Favorite lines. Some of these lines hit like darts, because I've experienced them. They were written well enough for the reader to actually feel your words, which is why we write, I'd say.

~"I hate hiding in the bathroom stall." And literally holding both hands over my mouth so no one will hear me sobbing in hysterics.

~"I did it wrong." This one happens to me every day, even though I'm "better" now. This is like a bell tolling in my head. Such a simple line, but very insightful into the depressive mindset.

~"But, they don’t understand how hard this is for me."

~"I don’t want to go back out there."

~"Come on put on a smile;" "You have to be happy for them;" "I’m too tired to play happy." What I find very interesting about these three lines/phrases is that all of these thoughts belong to one person, yet that person is berating themselves to meet the obligation the world imposes of wearing a happy face, all the while also acknowledging that doing so takes more energy than he or she has.

There's always room for improvement. This is pretty tight, but I will make offer two notes:

~Putting one of the "voices" in italics might help, so the readers eye can move more quickly and not lose the thread of which mindset is being expressed.

~This is an observation, not a critique. While written well enough to make me hurt, this might seem melodramatic or worse to someone who has not struggled with depression. I have no thoughts on how to make it more universal, and you probably already thought of this when you started writing. But I thought it worth mentioning.

We're never healed. We just get better than we were. It feels better to feel better. I hope you're feeling better.

Thank you for sharing this mirror with me and reminding me what I--and so many others--have managed to survive.

--Jeffrey

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Review of Trick or Treat?  Open in new Window.
Review by Jeffrey Meyer Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  Open in new Window.
Rated: E | (2.0)
Derg,

You address insecurity well in this compact story. So many of us do or have felt small in some way; entered a crucible to prove ourselves (usually to ourselves); and come away giants compared to what we perceived ourselves to have been. Ben's physical transformation demonstrates this common yearning very well.

This seems like it is the introduction to a bigger story, because the ending is very... well, open-ended, offering no resolution to the new conflict: Ben rediscovering himself as much more than he used to be. So hopefully there are some more paragraphs that will be written after this.

There's a big technical problem in the writing, something you want to be very conscious of moving forward: tense consistency. You switch from past tense in the first paragraph to present tense for part of the second paragraph, and then return to past tense for the third. Most of the time, either something is happening now, or it already happened. It's imperative that we, as writers, enable our readers to stay in the correct timeframe to keep them immersed in the story.

As a framework or an intro, this piece works fine. If it's a stand-alone piece, the reader needs a lot more background and more gradual transition throughout the story.

I hope you continue to be fired up about Ben, and decide to Write On!

--Jeffrey
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146
Review of Death is my job  Open in new Window.
Review by Jeffrey Meyer Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  Open in new Window.
Rated: 13+ | (3.5)
Legwrites,

I wonder why Death is always portrayed as cruel or evil. In the movie Meet Joe Black, Death performs the role of mercy to a woman in the hospital. I think of it simply as a function of biology, personally.

Your image of Death as an active malevolence is clear from this short poem, as it laughs at the living sufferers. "Beautiful distress" is a vivid, disturbing phrase--but quite fitting in this context. Nice job!

There's one note I will make: the fourth line of the first stanza reads "As the smell of sick." Should that be "the smell of the sick?" Or "The smell of sickness?" Right now, the verb refers to an adjective instead of a noun, which throws the reader.

Nice short piece, depicting death is a distinct light and leaving the reader no room to misunderstand the writer's attitude toward death and Death.

--Jeffrey
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147
Review of Autumn Leaves  Open in new Window.
Review by Jeffrey Meyer Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  Open in new Window.
Rated: ASR | (4.0)
Prier,

Well, we always say a story needs a good hook! *Wink*

First off, before I get all long-winded, I liked this piece a lot. There's some great elements, and some places that could use some work. But overall I quite like it. Now, if you want more than that, keep reading. *EyesRight**BookOpen**EyesLeft*

Okay, check it out--here's how I review. You and I are sitting in quiet bar, in that booth way in the back. Yeah, that one. I know it smells a little bit like old dishwater, but you'll get used to it. We've each brought a stack of notebooks, and we're here to swap stories and look at each other's stuff...... Why the weird preamble? Because that's really how I review--just like we were sitting together. There's no template that I use, just my honest thoughts and notes and critiques. And maybe a beer when we're done. Well, the peanuts are here, at least, so let's get started.

Check out the view! Your work with the setting is excellently nuanced. You paint a vivid and colorful picture in the first paragraph. Living in the Midwest, this is a familiar scene to me in the fall. I can't say I'm as enthusiastic about raking as Susan is, but to each their own, I reckon. *Wink* You fill out the setting subtly, very comfortably for the reader. Instead of one expository paragraph of what everything looks like, you let details seep in: The garage--Okay, we're not on the farm... Later you introduce the leaf-sucker truck (which is almost as loud as that dang leaf blower!)--gotcha, we're in the suburbs. Jeffrey and the neighbor both pass by within fifteen to thirty minutes--I see; so a) it's not super early morning, and b) the neighbors are close enough to see, but probably not right on top of one another. Yet you also show restraint. You've given me a sense of where Susan is and a general context of the greater area, but I have enough room imagine the yard as big or small as I want, the road as wide or cramped as that with which my own mind is familiar. Thank you for letting me add the tiny details myself.

And what a character! Your characters are few--mostly Susan. By the way, I was a little eye-rolly when her wardrobe was first explained in such detail. But when she started humming "I Feel Pretty" from West Side Story, I understood that the detailed image of her was important to her positive mental state. (Incidentally, West Side Story is among my top five favorite musicals; Miss Saigon is somewhere around the bottom nine million.) I thought slipping that song in really gave a familiar anchor to reality for the reader; I really liked that bit.

Jeffrey's a loose end, unfortunately. Is he just off? Or is he dangerous? What is his importance to the story? How does he drive action or tension? It seems like there is something indistinctly dangerous about him, like maybe he is obsessed with out oh-so-pretty Susan. But he never returns to the story after his second pass, and Susan is able to release the small amount of tension his presence did introduce in one sentence. I think you have room to fill his character out and give him a purpose; or maybe it's an opportunity to omit him altogether and make Susan's later discovery that much more contrasting to an otherwise innocuous and pretty scene.

Neighbors can be so useless. In this case, the neighbor in the car is, too. I'm extrapolating here, but I think you might have been trying to build a negative sexual tension with these characters, that maybe Susan was looking too pretty and attracting the wrong kind of attention. Perhaps you were hinting that her feeling of urgency was increasing because of the stares and whistles and shrinking deadline of the leaf vacuum's arrival. That's got to be my interpretation, because it's just not clear enough from the text. I'm hoping you can explain that to me, actually.

Captain Hook sucks. Literally, since he's the leaf-sucker man. Unfortunately, he's kind of a contradiction. He smiles and waves with his hook after a severed hand is found in Susan's leaves. There's a couple of questions there. Is that a coincidence? If it was really his hand, he got a prosthetic pretty quick, and he seems awfully cheerful about being, well...shorthanded. If it was his hand, why was it in Susan's yard? Is he another stalker? Has he been watching Susan as well? He's a bit of a mystery, and maybe he was supposed to be. Maybe these questions were intended to be left open-ended; if so, I think there is some work earlier in the story to better set it up.

And then that's it--pump the brakes! The ending was way too abrupt, in my opinion. My notes in the margin as I was reading this (yes, as we sit in the bar, I marked up your manuscript; sorry. I'll buy ya two beers when we're done. *Wink*): "Needs some transition between feeling oh, so pretty and finding a hand!" I think a transitional sentence or two and fleshing out that paragraph a little more is an important correction. (Pun not intended. Okay, a little bit intended.) A transition is needed after the "turn," as well--after the *** spacer line. Expand the paragraph a little. Do a little bit more than tell us the hand got bagged there's a detective coming later. (For one thing, the hand wouldn't be bagged until the detective got there; also, the detective would be there quicker than flies find poop if someone reported a severed human hand.) Susan's got to be a bit freaked at this point. That detail might set up more emotional cliffhanger tension at the end when The Hookster waves at her.

Let's look under the hood. You asked for a review, and I really enjoyed your story, so I'm happy to give you both barrels.

~I'll start off small: the species of the trees don't need to be capitalized; neither does "show" in "Broadway show."
~Should Dad's term for the rake--old school--be in quotes, instead of italics? I might suggest this because monikers and expressions, like Jake "The Snake" Roberts, are customarily set off in quotation marks.

~UN-italicize the phrase "she thought" the first time "Jeepers Creepers" Jeffrey rides by.

~You have some tense-agreement issues, mostly toward the end. Tense agreement is one of my pet peeves: either a thing happened already, or it's happening now.
"
~~~"But now the city comes by with this truck with a big vacuum hose and sucks up the leaves…" "Now" seems to imply present tense, but she could be thinking to herself in past perfect continuous tense. Since it's a little confusing, you might want to revisit that one.
~~~"…the detective is coming later this afternoon." This one's definitely problematic. The words "is" and "this" put the sentence in present tense while the rest of the story is in past tense.


Again, I want to emphasize that I liked this very much, and I look forward to reading more of your work.

Remember, these are just my thoughts, observations, and opinions. They meant to be respectful, encouraging, and constructive. If they have been unwelcome, well… you can print this out and flush it down the toilet, if you want. Or set it out with the leaves.

Here's your drinks, by the way. *Drink**Drink*

--Jeffrey



Reviewing signature for the B.E.A.R. Fund.
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Review of Exhaustion  Open in new Window.
Review by Jeffrey Meyer Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  Open in new Window.
Rated: E | (4.0)
Scy,

Truth is mentioned frequently in this piece about Exhaustion, in one way or another. False smiles, fake camaraderie. True exhaustion. The reader is might be left wondering if this is a case of overstating a principle that is not a fact so that people will believe it...

Albeit, I personally think it is not. "Teenage angst" is real. The mind is changing, the body is changing. Menopause and midlife crisis are similar--monumental shifts in body chemistry that are absolutely exhausting, physically, mentally, and emotionally. The struggle is real, friend. Your struggle is the truth.

It doesn't get better; you have to make it better. From someone who knows how far down a bad road the exhaustion can take you, the truth is "no one but you can save yourself..."

Constructive note: you're missing a lot of commas, which are as exhausting to writers as constantly being on guard against people truly knowing us can be to the rest of us.

I appreciated this piece. I won't say "like," because it hit way to close to home to be a pleasant ramble down memory lane for me. But I appreciate it for its truth.

Keep up the struggle; there's a good chance you'll win. It feels better to feel better. And that's the truth.

--Jeffrey

149
149
Review by Jeffrey Meyer Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  Open in new Window.
Rated: E | (3.0)
Busman,

This might not be a really long review, but there's a reason for that. I need more! You set a great scene here. I can visualize it easily. But as a reader, I want more. What is the cat thinking? What are you thinking? Are you thinking about the cat? The sun? The symbiosis of the two? Are you reflecting on the personality of the relationship of the cat and the sun? I'm hungry for metaphors and observations that not only bring this to physical life, but to emotional and psychological life, as well.

Reading a few your poems about your cat, I have decided to write another biographical piece, in the vein of the friend you lost in "The Day the Music Died." I am looking for a door into that story, and wondering if there is anything there a reader wants to look at. And as I do that, I also wonder, would this poem of yours work as something other than a poem? A vignette, maybe? Is it something you would ever consider trying?

Just some thoughts from one reader, and nobody's editor or agent, for sure. I hope, as always, you've taken no offense.

I have to go sit in the sun, now, and see if I can Write On!

--Jeffrey
150
150
Review by Jeffrey Meyer Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  Open in new Window.
Rated: E | (3.5)
Busman,

This is so true for all pets. I did have to rehome a cat, around 10 years ago. I felt sick doing it. Although--kind of a funny story--we found a white cat outside, one time, that had been declawed on all four paws. That's a death sentence for an outdoor stray, so we took him in. We had several cats at the time, and coincidentally they were all black. (You should have seen the Bombay. He was gorgeous...and had the attitude and power of Sonny Liston!) Well, I don't know if cats are racists, too, but all the black cats would gang up on that poor white one and just beat the living hell out of him. We ended up rehoming him for his own good.

There's not much to critique here in your poem. Cats are so quirky that I wondered if a little humor (from the POV of the cat) would help. On the one hand, it might dilute the seriousness of the statement; on the other, it might engage the reader more so they get the statement. Perhaps more poetic presentation, more cadenced verbiage? Those are more personal stylistic choices than anything, so I hope that doesn't offend.

In all, a very good, straightforward and true credo about owning pets.

--Jeffrey
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