I'm going to have to check one or two of these (pretty sure the number of gifts the wise men brought, not the number of people is said), but overall this was a fun quiz. I used to be pretty good at my weekly Bible trivia back in the day.
But...I don't know if I'd label this a "Christmas" quiz. Christmas as we know it was developed by the Church as a means of placating the Romans to get them to convert. So, is it really a "real Christmas" quiz? It's more of a "history of the religious significance we've tried to force on a pagan holiday" quiz, but that's not very convenient to say, now is it?
This was just fantastic. I mean, yeah, I could already see what was coming with this one, but it's still sweet. Congratulations on a happy and successful marriage. And what a fantastic way to celebrate it and share that joy with others. I love that emphasis on firsts, as that's something we don't always think about in that moment. Wonderful job!
Wow, this was some powerful stuff. I think the best thing about this one was the build up of this story. You gracefully constructed a narrative that slowly gave the readers a piece by piece explanation of what was going on. I always struggle in the show don't tell department, and I envy your skills at this right now.
First off, the title just grabbed me. Perseus and Medusa is just a really fun myth to tell. The tone of this story is just something else though. I like the mystery of it: that thrill that you're not entirely sure what's going on, but you know it's something big. My only criticism is just to watch out for those situations where you're using "i" instead of "I." Still, that paragraph that starts with "I drowned. I died." That was just phenomenal and probably the best part of this short tale. Nice work!
Hm, I've never seen you do prose before. And, I'm actually intrigued by this one. As always, you find a way to portray a message that I wasn't expecting, at least not with how you started it. I like how you turned it around by expressing that when tragedies happen, we don't have to forget, but we do have to continue living in their memory. Wonderful message to convey, and I wish we could see more of your prose writing.
A really good analogy for this one. The last line just really worked for this one. But, overall, it has a strong feel to it that conveys the message well. Each line has a way of carrying great weight with it, so nothing is wasted. You put a lot of purpose into each choice.
Maybe it's because I like structured poems, in general, better, but these area always some of my favorites of yours. Plus, you took some really tricky words to rhyme for this one, making it that much better than the average poetry you'd find anywhere else.
Good rhythm on this one, and I think that's appropriate for the topic of the poem, since it is an expansion of the old "slow and steady wins the race" adage. It was actually like reading a journey, and not a car wreck of words thrown together. Keep up the good stride!
Easier said than done for someone with OCD, like myself, but I get where you're coming from. There are habits and routines that can be broken, others not so much. I think maybe some of the word choices could be changed to not reflect that "any" compulsion can be broken with willpower alone. Obsessive compulsive tendencies are a little different than bad habits like smoking or laziness.
Varied, fantastic vocabulary skills as always to this one. "Lethal opinions" was my personal favorite. Beautiful image. Anyway, even though the poem is about fighting back negativity, I think it really showcased how there's actually a balance to everything. Positivity fights negativity, and negativity can outweigh positivity. It really is a system of checks and balances.
Liked the variety of words in this one. Helped to keep it fresh and interesting to the reader. I think this was also a good topic to try and experiment with using more variety. You've covered this kind of topic before, so this was a good chance to try new things and try and keep it new to the readers.
Clever pattern work here with talking about the rise at the top of the poem and the fall at the bottom. I love when writers can create an image of their idea on the page using the art of words. At the same time, you capture the sine wave of life's ups and downs quite nicely.
I like the examples you bring to this one. It's the first time you've used a "preach with practice" method in your work rather than just metaphor. It's a nice change from the usual fare. You also went really verbose for this one, which I usually like, though it may have made the flow a bit clunky in parts.
Everything about this wasn't at all what I expected. First of all, the title and the summary made me really think. I thought, "Hm, now this sounds like an interesting idea." The metaphor of moving bridge, though, put a different idea in my mind of what to expect, though. This exceeded those expectations. Well done!
Beautiful symmetry in this one, and even though it's free verse, there is still a very clear pattern here. The line "Reason motivates my engine" was my favorite. It's a good metaphor, and it puts a good image in readers heads for how to see motivation.
Short, sweet, and to the point. You waste no time getting to the main message of the poem. However, I wonder if it's too short. I feel like I'm missing a lot of your usual charm such as the strong metaphors that make you think and the varied vocabulary. It's not bad, but I feel it's missing those ingredients that make it, well, you.
This one is one of your best because it hits home on one of the most important concepts in mythology: the hero's journey is not a finite thing. It's a cycle that restarts itself anew each time the hero completes their quest. And that is how life is for us. A new call to adventure hits us right after we finish the last goal.
I think you really shine when you do longer pieces. It gives a really good sample of your skills as a poet. As always, I like the divide in this poem where it turns from how evil tries to sabotage us to how virtue helps us make it through. And there were some really amazing word choices in this one to really make it pop.
Your personal pieces are always so nice and inspirational. I suppose, your life myth fits in the realm of "Leo, the Late Bloomer," in some ways then. I think it's nice when readers can hear the personal stories of authors because then it allows them to be able to identify with similar experiences.
I liked the direction you took with this one. It's more of a general idea, that focuses in on more specifics. This was a little different than what I was expecting because of the title. Still, imagery is a little bit of everything, rather than one idea. I think a little more cohesion would help, but it was still a good piece.
Ah, now I envy you. Spring is just something that doesn't happen in my nick of the woods. It's either winter or it's summer, and some days, it's all four seasons in one day. Still, I rather liked the imagery this poem provides, and the appropriate timing of it as the first official day of spring draws near.
I like this one because it's unique. It's a message that I wasn't expecting, nor do I fully understand. But, I think unless one has been in such situations, we're not meant to understand. I've never been in those kinds of situations to have those feelings. Still, it's certainly a beautiful piece.
Okay, so you took this in a different direction than what I was expecting. The title suggested that it might be a critique of "what's the point of going the extra mile," but I like this a lot better. Much more positive of a message, and I see what you're going for.
I like this for a couple reasons. It brings to mind images of things like Ganesh and the Labyrinth, or rather the spiral. The spiral is an important journey because you end up where you started, but just a little more forward than originally. It's an important observation in spiritual journeys, making garden labyrinths important for self reflection and meditation. I think you've embodied all of that in this poem very well.
It's very clear you have experience with such situations because that comes out clearly with how well you've portrayed the feelings and signs of panic attacks. That gives the poem a certain "realness" to it to make it even more powerful. Liked that last line. Kind of obvious, but kind of not in a way.
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