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Cassie & Josh

Sometimes love is
being okay with her waking you up

at two A.M.

To talk about your pets
the ones that have passed
and where they used to sleep at night
because she couldn’t remember

Style / type: 
Free verse
Review Request (Intensity): 
I appreciate moderate constructive criticism
Last few words: 
I recently had the honor of having this piece published in the Best of Kindness 2020 Anthology, from Origami Poems Project.
Editing stage: 
Content level: 
Not Explicit Content

Comments

I also like your heartwarming short poem that speaks of love and beloved pets. Thank you for posting this simple but lovely one.
Jerry (Van)

Thanks for sharing your thoughts Mark! I do consider this piece done for now, punctuation be damned, lol! However, I frequently look back and often rework pieces to hopefully improve them.

I agree that poetry is a craft, but one mustn't get too hung up on the mechanics of it so as to lose focus on the emotions an interesting or beautiful poem can offer (for both writer and reader). I use a perhaps unorthodox approach to punctuation and capitalization in my poetry: punctuation used sparingly, and not always where the punctuation custodians feel it should be used, and only if I feel it adds to clarity, and capitalization where I feel a new sentence or thought would begin. That being said, your points about punctuation and capitalization seem to be of such a minor nature that I can't see them being a distraction for most readers of the piece; whether or not we agree on their use.

I find poetry to be more like love: you don't always get it right, it's frequently messy, misunderstandings and misinterpretations can abound, but it can somehow still be beautiful; if not the entire piece, then often times a few lines in a stanza. Right or wrong, that's how I see it when I write.

Really not clear where you picked up on the "someone else calling it done" thread though. This was submitted as is, with no other input as to whether or not it was finished.

It sounds like you did enjoy the poem though, so thank you. I do find your comments thought provoking, and appreciate the visit.

Best

Michael Anthony

author comment

Hi Mark,

Thanks for circling back on this. I seem to have struck some nerve here which I don't fully understand. As I've said previously, I RARELY think of my work as finished - it's more at what the drop-down menu I select says: "not currently editing." Again, no one has decided this or other pieces I create are done (including myself, LOL). However, when one has a piece published it is, arguably, complete, at least in that moment in time. If there are more stringent guidelines in regard to the use of the editing status menu I may have overlooked I would appreciate some guidance so as not to offend or mislead going forward.

I do understand that this is a workshop for writers, and I value the feedback I get here very much. It has improved some of my work, and certainly is helping me be a better poet, I believe. That's why we keep coming back : )

Thank you again for your time, and sharing your thoughts.

Best

Michael Anthony

author comment
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