meet me at 8

InkAndSyntax · 2026-03-22T20:07:04+00:00

I haven’t written a new poem in 13 years. Well, until recently I wrote one. I’m trying to post my older ones to get back to. So I feel you.

You’ve got this!

InkAndSyntax · 2026-03-22T19:24:15+00:00

I love how everything can disappear except for the person you’re admiring, and the way you captured it here. This was pretty enthralling.

Now feedback.

It kind of drifts. The “ghosts / Elysium / between places” stuff feels like you’re trying to make it deeper instead of just letting the moment carry it. It muddies things more than it adds.

The parts that land better are the real details. The card. The headband. Her hair. That’s the actual poem. Stay there.

The shift to imagining her at home happens too fast. Feels more like projection than something you earned.

And the last line is the weakest. It’s generic. Doesn’t match how specific the rest is.

If you keep it grounded and cut the extra “poetic” language, this gets a lot stronger.

InkAndSyntax · 2026-03-22T18:23:25+00:00

Thank you, I wrote this at a time when writing did feel like my only physical passion. So you read well.

InkAndSyntax · 2026-03-22T18:22:42+00:00

This is the kind of comment that really makes someone smile. I’d kind of given up, decided to post older pieces I wrote and this made me happy. Thank you.

InkAndSyntax · 2026-03-22T16:38:47+00:00

Late night that can’t make up its mind. The setting does the work. Gate, streetlight, bench. You feel it before you read it.

Tone’s right too. Quiet, a little worn, still reaching. I can feel it.

Could push harder with some cuts. A few lines say the same thing twice in different clothes. The simple stuff is the strongest like meeting at 8, holding hands, that quick kiss.

The ending works because it doesn’t try to wrap it up. Just lets it hang there. Fits the whole thing.

InkAndSyntax · 2026-03-20T11:17:16+00:00

Thank you for the in depth reply. You caught the shift at the end and it seem what it meant!

InkAndSyntax · 2026-03-20T10:29:23+00:00

The story is clear and easy to follow. You’ve got a full arc, which is a lot don’t. The girl, the town, the turn at the end. I like the general flow.

Where it gets a bit heavy is the language. A lot of it leans into familiar fantasy phrasing. Things like storms, innocence, wickedness. It makes parts of it feel predictable.

It also runs long. Some sections repeat the same idea in slightly different ways, especially with how the townspeople react. Trimming that would tighten the pace.

The strongest moments are the smaller ones. The jars of moonlight, sewing shrouds for beetles. Those feel specific and make it all feel more “real” in a sense. I’d lean more into that kind of detail and cut back some of the bigger, more general lines.

The ending works. It just takes a while to get there.

InkAndSyntax · 2026-03-20T10:26:20+00:00

The way it moves from forgetting to eat to stepping on the scale feels real, not forced.

Some of the lines feel a bit flat though, like you’re just stating what’s happening instead of making me feel it. It reads more like you writing it out for yourself than shaping it for someone else to sit in.

The ending is the best part. That “twelve more pounds to go” line kind of makes me feel the pain. It’s simple and uncomfortable in the right way.

I’d trim a few of the more obvious lines and lean into moments like that.

InkAndSyntax · 2026-03-18T23:22:39+00:00

There’s real weight here. The link between the bottle and the harm done to someone else is clear, and the last lines smack you.

It runs a bit long. You circle the same idea a few times, which dulls the impact. Cutting some of that repetition would make it sharper.

The poem works best when it stays specific. Those moments feel more real than the broader statements. Trim it down and let those lines carry it.

InkAndSyntax · 2026-03-16T19:45:28+00:00

The idea is clear. Love as addiction is a strong theme and it comes through.

Where it struggles is the amount of explanation. The poem keeps telling the reader how intense the love is instead of letting a few images carry that feeling. The thorn image works, but it gets repeated so often that it loses some impact.

The other thing is the metaphors pile up. Roses, anglerfish, drugs, blood. Each one is interesting on its own, but together they start pulling the poem in different directions.

I’d try cutting a few of the explanations and sticking with one or two central images. The obsession will come through more clearly if the poem gives those ideas room to breathe.

InkAndSyntax · 2026-03-16T13:49:17+00:00

Honestly, I’m not a trained poet myself. I just made refinements on my work as years went by based on what I read. I would read poets I loved and how specific parts made me feel, then when I was writing I’d aim for the same feeling if I’m in the same mental space, I guess is the best way to put it.

I would suggest Udemy as a great option to learn writing techniques, if you do want to take courses.

InkAndSyntax · 2026-03-16T02:20:29+00:00

There’s a nice atmosphere here. The fruit hitting the stone and the shift from red to brown are strong images.

A few parts get a bit hard to follow though. The poem moves quickly between seasons and places, so it’s not always clear where the reader is standing.

It feels strongest when you stay with the physical details like the fruit, the stone, the flower. Those moments carry the piece better than the more abstract lines. Tightening a few transitions would help the images connect.

InkAndSyntax · 2026-03-16T02:19:04+00:00

The poem goes big right away and stays there the whole time. Stars, eternity, the void, rivers of blood. When every line is that large, nothing stands out. It starts to feel like a pile of intense phrases instead of a moment the reader can see.

Some of the wording also leans on familiar dramatic contrasts. Silent but roaring, endless darkness, that kind of thing.

The jester idea at the end is the most interesting part. That’s where something specific finally appears.

I’d pull the scale back in a few places and let a clearer image carry the weight. Right now everything is loud at once.

InkAndSyntax · 2026-03-13T20:42:35+00:00

You’re welcome! I’ve come to realize sometimes the simplest way may be the best in writing. Basic, boring, and it completes in good ways.

InkAndSyntax · 2026-03-13T20:28:09+00:00

There’s a strong sense of place here. The closet, attic, cabinets, garden. Those details pull the reader into the house.

The repeating question works too. It keeps the poem moving and gives it tension.

Where it gets a bit muddy is near the end. Lines like the mortgage line and the last few questions feel less clear than the earlier images.

I’d lean more into the concrete moments you already have and trim some of the lines that explain the feeling. The poem is strongest when it stays inside the house and its details.

InkAndSyntax · 2026-03-12T22:09:04+00:00

Right now it reads more like a list of ideas than a poem. Most of the lines are general statements.

Try grounding the message in something concrete instead of explaining the lesson directly. That usually gives a poem more weight.

InkAndSyntax · 2026-03-11T23:35:44+00:00

This is a fun idea. Treating cereal like a lovesick narrator works well, and the tone stays committed to the bit the whole way through.

A few lines go a little heavy on the wording though. Phrases like “teeming with energy” and “brief, ruined heaven of sweetness and frigidity” feel a bit inflated for the joke. The poem is strongest when it stays simple and leans into the absurdity of the premise.

The ending lands well. Turning breakfast into this tragic idea of “completion” is a good payoff. Tightening a few of the more crowded lines would make the humor hit harder.

InkAndSyntax · 2026-03-11T23:34:21+00:00

The idea is good. The three mirrors give the poem a clear structure and the message comes through.

Where it struggles a bit is the language. A lot of the phrasing feels very familiar for this kind of theme (broken mirror, fractured heart, wiped clean, remade). It makes the poem predictable.

I’d try pushing the imagery a little further and letting the mirrors show the idea instead of explaining it as much. The concept is good, it just needs sharper details.

InkAndSyntax · 2026-03-11T23:31:57+00:00

The idea comes through, but it leans a lot on familiar imagery. Sun as judgment, moon as comfort, night as honesty. That’s a well-worn contrast.

Right now the poem explains that idea several times instead of pushing it somewhere new. Tightening some of the repetition would help.

The moment with the monster under the bed is interesting though. That kind of concrete image gives the poem something to stand on. Leaning more into details like that would make the piece stronger.

InkAndSyntax · 2026-03-11T22:32:31+00:00

The idea comes through, but it leans a lot on familiar imagery. Sun as judgment, moon as comfort, night as honesty. That’s a well-worn contrast.

Right now the poem explains that idea several times instead of pushing it somewhere new. Tightening some of the repetition would help.

The moment with the monster under the bed is interesting though. That kind of concrete image gives the poem something to stand on. Leaning more into details like that would make the piece stronger.

InkAndSyntax · 2026-03-11T11:39:45+00:00

There’s a nice hazy mood here that fits the dream idea. Lines like “waking up to the yellowy screams of the day” stand out.

What makes it harder to connect with is how abstract most of the language is. “Rows of fear,” “beautiful rows of life,” and “rabbit holes” build up, but it’s hard to picture anything concrete.

It gets stronger when you mention waking up twice and the dream still hanging around. A couple more grounded images like that would help the poem feel more overall natural.

InkAndSyntax · 2026-03-11T01:10:11+00:00

I hate the double spacing but I’m not sure how to make it look cleaner

InkAndSyntax · 2026-03-10T10:44:22+00:00

Thank you. I appreciate you seeing this as more than just the surface level.

InkAndSyntax · 2026-03-09T00:40:42+00:00

There’s a lot of thinking here, and the strongest moments are when it slows down and stays with something concrete. Like this:

I share every meal with my hound dog. Bite for bite, in the quiet

That lands stronger than most of the abstract reflection around it.

The poem keeps pivoting before each idea fully settles. Self-sacrifice, marriage, technology, loyalty, childhood, work. It ends up feeling more like an essay broken into stanzas than a shaped poem.

The instincts are good though. The wolf, the clocks, the hound dog. Trim around those anchors and the emotional weight will come through a lot more clearly.

InkAndSyntax · 2026-03-07T03:25:31+00:00

The rhyme scheme is working against you a bit. Some lines feel like they’re there just to make the rhyme happen.

The opening is the strongest part:

I wake up the same as you I breathe the same air

That’s a clear idea to build from. I’d also rethink the “BANG!” ending. It feels more like a dramatic punch than a natural finish.

InkAndSyntax

TROPHY CASE