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Let Love Rule

bridges to be burned another page is now turned
form each circle cast your bread upon the water it should come back to you
treasure, in deep energy eating Swiss cheese;
A pony..little horse & beauty
love reaching laughter to pay homage here after
bottom of the cake frosting building bridges torn to realize
sneak up on me...,

charge the orphan up a yonder
another page that is turned
Cottage Cheese & aroma
Chinese wig to have someone squeeze
sit by the jeep from head down to my feet

tomorrow will be more busy getting a bit dizzy
let love rule a well hung family jewel
borrowed basement dual
shattered dreams onto the next episode
let love rule

charming aroma come to take hold of

Review Request (Intensity): 
I want the raw truth, feel free to knock me on my back
Editing stage: 

Comments

I trend toward structured verse, personally, but appreciate well executed free verse.

I believe I get a sense of what you are trying to communicate to your reader, after all the title clearly states the theme, but I find myself getting lost in the structure of the piece. My pacing and focus is not measured and the excellent imagery is marred by a shift in style, forcing me to stop, re-read, and try to decide, during the middle of the reading, what you might mean.

I understand William Carlos Williams eschewed punctuation and capitalization, but it is a technique best employed after there is a firm foundation of rules so that the effect of breaking one is known and deliberate. In the case of this piece, without punctuation, save for the dreaded ellipsis, I am left trying to navigate pacing and flow which makes me feel I am working harder to read the poem than it was to write.

Wow, that's a lot, I know. It seems like I have almost entirely negative things to say. The reason is simple. I don't comment on work that does not request raw feedback. Only raw feedback indicates the poet wants to take their vision and make it more precise and impactful. So when I critique, i like to point out what I feel needs to be reviewed first, then highlight how that review will aid the work.

Let's take a look at the following:

"bridges to be burned another page is now turned
form each circle cast your bread upon the water it should come back to you
treasure, in deep energy eating Swiss cheese;
A pony..little horse & beauty
love reaching laughter to pay homage here after
bottom of the cake frosting building bridges torn to realize
sneak up on me...,"

There's a lot her to parse, some if it striking, some missing the mark. Although I am a proponent of rhymed verse, in this case, I would avoid it as the rhymes steal focus from the words. Additionally, although I prefer structured verse, i feel free verse would better suit establishing a pacing that supports your vision.

So, without permission, I will offer a suggested restructure, attempting to illustrate my point while holding true to your vision.

There are bridges to be burned
which turn another page.

Form each circle
cast your bread upon the water,
It will return in measure and method unexpected
Yielding treasure.

There is energy to be stored
and
Experiences to be reviewed
Days of cheese and laughter
ponies
and that transient beauty that permeates the soul.

There is laughter paying homage to the memories
and the loss
which sneak up on me as I turn
to retrace
steps half remembered as my eyes
seek the bridge
now ashes
that separate me
from
my
grief.

Punctuation and structure leads your reader through a piece. It tells them when to pause, when to rush, when to breath. Punctuation and structure are the map for your reader, dispose of the carefully.

Now, this is my critique. You, as the poet, must decide what is of value and what to ignore. You are under no obligation to change anything. If you would like to discuss any points I have made, it would be my pleasure.

I look forward to seeing your journey.

---------------------------------------------------------

Jonathan Moore

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