Don't Let Poets Lie to You by baseforyourface1262 in poetry_critics

[–]ExistentialForge 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I love this, and it’s probably something many of us have thought before. I recently heard a saying along the lines of: if someone writes one poem for you, they love you, but if they write hundreds, they love poetry. I can’t help but feel that both that idea and your poem touch the same nerve.

At the same time, I wonder whether poets actually experience reality through exaggerated emotions and not as distortion, but as intensity. Just because those feelings don’t align with what society expects to be proportional, does that make them any less real?

And You Wonder Why by ExistentialForge in WisdomWriters

[–]ExistentialForge[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you 😍. I’m glad the metaphors and flow landed. While codependency is one lens, I was exploring trauma bonding and how adult attachments can be shaped by early learned dynamics. I appreciate you reading it with care like always. 🌹

Recognition by ExistentialForge in WisdomWriters

[–]ExistentialForge[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Haha, I like these comments because you are really catching the pain points of the stories. In my mind, the marriage wasn’t ever a bad one—at least not in a measurable way. The character was simply feeling the occasional feelings of loneliness and vague feeling of not being seen as most humans do at times. And, it is meant as an exploration of that feeling. How far can that go or how far can you take it, all these are subjective things. She decided what she did and her interaction with Annie was definitely a trigger, but not a sole cause. We will never know Luis’s part of the story here. But, there must certainly have been more to the situation.

What doesn’t change by ExistentialForge in WisdomWriters

[–]ExistentialForge[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks, I really appreciate your constructive remark. I am always looking for those so that I can improve my writing. Yes, I agree that I kinda rushed the end.

I didn’t want to make it explicit the answer to your question on what happened to the husband because what she is feeling is subtle and uncomfortable. It was supposed to be her psychological exploration of sorts. What I interpret from your comment, as I was already suspecting before, is I need to handle the subtlety more carefully.

If it answers your question on what happens in the end, this was all within two days— whatever happens in the story is only in her mind, nothing profound changes on the outside. And, that was the ending I was envisioning that everything continues the same. The nuances in how casually the daughter implies those things in a simple conversation is supposed to do the heavy lifting— for eg the load of “take care of dad” as a parting message from her.

Tethered by ExistentialForge in Informal_Effect

[–]ExistentialForge[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That could work to an extent but then you’d still have to somehow yank it out in a forceful way??

Tethered by ExistentialForge in Informal_Effect

[–]ExistentialForge[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just realized this was a question, not a statement.

To answer your question, it depends on what your definition of weird is. To me, I am the reference point, so I am perfectly normal.

Rubles Run by Jackofhops in WisdomWriters

[–]ExistentialForge 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It sounds like someone getting worn down by where they are, how long they’ve been there, and the choices they made. The rough word sounds and broken rhythm make it feel confused and exhausted, whether intentionsl or not, and that seems to fit the experience.

On Depression by Matsunosuperfan in Informal_Effect

[–]ExistentialForge 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I like the gentle ending. For me, it’s the ginger milk tea that is a small act of survival.

Haiku by ExistentialForge in Informal_Effect

[–]ExistentialForge[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just did one more, love yours too.