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375 Public Reviews Given
642 Total Reviews Given
Public Reviews
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Review of Phone Call  Open in new Window.
Review by Elijah Jones Author IconMail Icon
Rated: E | (4.0)
Well-crafted. Edgy. Clever.
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Review of Night's Spell  Open in new Window.
Review by Elijah Jones Author IconMail Icon
Rated: E | (4.5)
This piece had a wonderfully poetic Haiku quality to it. You lovingly wove substantial content & heart-felt resonance into a small, compressed, condensed literary package. Nicely done.

In an already wonderful piece, the last lines were spectacularly stellar:

"Taste my hunger
For your tantalizing promise"

Powerful, and then some. Sizzlingly delicious. Thank you for sharing.
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Review by Elijah Jones Author IconMail Icon
Rated: 18+ | (4.5)
Oh, my. What explosive energy! Click-clack. Myopic smack. A close-in, bloody, sword-to-sword battle. Eye-to-eye. Face-to-face. Breath-to-(deep)-breath.

My favorite lines:

"Do these debaters know
how lucky they are not to face
me when I wield my swords of malice?"

I would not face such a brutally brackish, back-lashed struggle, lest the brandishing result pierce my (most-vulnerable) heart.

I rot, and not ewe . . . thankfully.

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Review of The Gleaner  Open in new Window.
Review by Elijah Jones Author IconMail Icon
Rated: E | (4.5)
Wonderfully complex & engaging. The profound difference between "Wonder Bread" & the lovingly home-made variety. Well-done. And then some.

My favorite lines:

"An empty stomach,
is reason enough,
to endure the pain,
of gathering grain,"

Quite an compelling image. Good job!
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Review of Humanity  Open in new Window.
Review by Elijah Jones Author IconMail Icon
Rated: E | (4.0)
First, the bad news:

In the line:

"Quite against our beliefs and liknessess,"

It should be "likenesses."

And, in the line, "To think together,yes"

You need a space between the words "together" and "yes"

Beyond that, this is a wonderful piece. Lively. Engaging.

Also, not sure about the spelling of the word "pasttime" in the line:

"A pasttime for minds to train"

Finally, in the line:

"And her golden spector of emotions"

What spells/means: "spector ," nee?

Beyond these minor points, a WONDERFULLY poetic, word-adventure.

Thank you for sharing.

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Review of God breathed.  Open in new Window.
Review by Elijah Jones Author IconMail Icon
Rated: E | (4.0)
Powerful, though it made me feel deeply uneasy. (In that most uncomfortable way.) But, sometimes, feeling uneasy is exactly the right response, in context - as it was here. Thank you . . . and then some,.
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Review of My Show  Open in new Window.
Review by Elijah Jones Author IconMail Icon
Rated: E | (4.5)
What a powerfully, integrated, intimate, heart-felt presentation.

My favorite lines:

"But like the good actress I am
on goes the make up, away goes the tears"

Which I would have modified, thusly, as:

"But, like the good actress I am,
on goes the make-up, away goes the tears."

A minor point, of course.

Good job, you. Immensely so.

Thanks, and then some . . . Welcome you, and your substantial literary talents.
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Review by Elijah Jones Author IconMail Icon
Rated: E | (4.5)
Engaging. Raw, in that good way. With profoundly potent juxtapositions. You present clear (and present) options. Black & white. Like a Chess board. My very favorite lines:

"Start a war for what you want
Love’s no easy ride"

Powerful stuff. Thought-provoking. Thanks for sharing . . .

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Review of Battlefield  Open in new Window.
Review by Elijah Jones Author IconMail Icon
Rated: E | (4.5)
I found this piece to be quite moving - in a dark and somber way. Your words enabled me to connect (soul-to-soul) with the fallen soldiers, so much so that I searched to find the painting by Kathe Kollwitz that inspired you. Sadly, I was not able to do so . . .
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Review by Elijah Jones Author IconMail Icon
Rated: E | (4.5)
I found this piece quite engaging, energetic and entertaining. I could almost hear the music, see the keys thunk and feel strings vibrate. Good job.
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Review of Make Be  Open in new Window.
Review by Elijah Jones Author IconMail Icon
Rated: E | (4.0)
Sometimes I read a piece and know exactly what charmed me. This one caught my eye/mind. I read it several times. And enjoyed it. Not sure why. Perhaps because I felt I took a brief, brisk journey with you.
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Review by Elijah Jones Author IconMail Icon
Rated: E | (4.5)
For some reason, this reminded me of a Beatles song. The lyrics were:

"You say yes, I say no
You say stop and I say go, go, go
Oh, no
You say goodbye and I say hello"

Maybe it's the directness. Maybe it's the clarity. Whatever the reason, I liked it.
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Review of The You You Were  Open in new Window.
Review by Elijah Jones Author IconMail Icon
Rated: E | (4.5)
I've read everything at your Port and enjoyed it all, most particularly this piece and "Missing You." I assume that you do not have to be told that you have a way with words. Your writing strikes me as well-structured and well-thought out. Among my favorite lines:

"I look
Always
For your name
Printed somewhere
In automatic size ten
Arial"

Crisp. Taut. Precise.

In "Missing You," I liked:

"You’re not the girl who chewed on her reading glasses
And talked in dramatic ironies"

Great imagery on the surface and soaked with meaning inside, like a large natural sponge right after it is pulled from a bucket of foamy water, splashing meaning all around.

Well, I've said too much. But visiting your Port seemed to coax the words from my meandering mind
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Review by Elijah Jones Author IconMail Icon
Rated: E | (4.0)
Read this twice. Enjoyed both times.
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Review by Elijah Jones Author IconMail Icon
Rated: ASR | (4.0)
What a wonderful, self-induced cascade, rolled back into itself. Like bread-dough, well-kneaded, by a muscular Master Baker. Ka-pow. Ka-pound. Ka-knead. Ka-roll. And pound, again. You are a well-crafted wonder, and then some. And how I enjoyed your literary efforts! Thanks . . .
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Review of Doors  Open in new Window.
Review by Elijah Jones Author IconMail Icon
Rated: 13+ | (4.0)
This piece had such a wonderful poetic quality to it. So lyrical. And the imagery of the doors (as a metaphor, I assume) made it all the more engaging. I have just one suggestion that you may feel free to ignore, for I would not change your work by even a single word. But, in reading it several times, I tried to imagine where the pauses might be. Below I have used your very words but with "breaks," that I seemed to hear in my head, as I digested various phrases that you wrote. I make no pretense that this is where the breaks should be. (You are the artist. I am merely a passer-by.) But I hope the fact that I took the time to read and re-read this piece multiple times will be taken as a compliment., for that is how it is meant.

I wish I could
walk through doors
that change
everytime I enter.

Then maybe
it would make sense,

my emotions are
like different doors,

you never know
what is on
the other side.

But be careful
of which ones
you open.

I hate having
this sense of fragility.

Everyone I meet
I feel like I need
to give them
a book of my life

to read

hoping

just maybe one of them
will understand

and it would be ok.
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Review of Lake Poem Three  Open in new Window.
Review by Elijah Jones Author IconMail Icon
Rated: E | (4.5)
I've read your five Lake poems. Engaging works, all. But this one stood out. It bristled with life and hope. Exhilarating. Like a brisk morning walk on a chill-dawned day. Thank you for sharing.
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Review of A broken world  Open in new Window.
Review by Elijah Jones Author IconMail Icon
Rated: E | (4.0)
Quite good imagery. A resonated moment. I, too, was moved.
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Review of Moonlight Wood  Open in new Window.
Review by Elijah Jones Author IconMail Icon
Rated: E | (4.0)
I usually just review poetry, but when I saw the words "The Product Placement Edition," I was intrigued. So I played along. I'm glad I did. (Baited. Hooked. And reeled in.) I found this piece quite clever. It moved well. The interplay of the characters was winsome, and the last line was dead-on, made-me-smile, perfect. Kudos to you.
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Review by Elijah Jones Author IconMail Icon
Rated: E | (4.5)
This was absolutely breath-taking. Everything that a well-crafted word-journey should be. Twists. Turns. Eddies. Side-streets. Your wonderful first four lines set the tone, so well:

"When I think I am doing
something of importance with gusto,
like trying to garden pompous
flowers in a stately fashion"

I know those "pompous flowers." They never really appreciate the love you give them. They are the cats of the plant world. Give them everything, and they want/need more.

Me-ow!
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Review by Elijah Jones Author IconMail Icon
Rated: 18+ | (4.5)
Well, I loved this piece. But, in the spirit of transparency, I must admit that (many, many years ago) I lived within minutes of Siesta Key and very much enjoyed going there. (I was among that cult-like group that clustered early evening on the smooth-sanded shore to watch the beautiful sunsets, and I saw quite a few.) But back to your literary effort: You word-painted a lovely sea-scape that flashed me back in time to re-enjoy those wonderful moments. For that, I am both grateful and appreciative. Your way with words is substantial. My tickled mind can attest to that..
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Review of The Choice  Open in new Window.
Review by Elijah Jones Author IconMail Icon
Rated: E | (4.0)
Deeply personal. Yet not maudlin. It suggested a strength, foundation-like, upon which to build. Like granite. Or well-poured concrete, strengthened with re-bar. The final three lines present a clear choice. A prevocational utterance. Nicely done . . .
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Review of Love Brings  Open in new Window.
Review by Elijah Jones Author IconMail Icon
Rated: 13+ | (4.0)
I have always admired people who know the story of Sisyphus. Why/? Because the story of Sisyphus is the story of life. Real life. Facing struggles. A life that is lived, in "real time." Where things go wrong. And people are hurt. Or disappointed. Discouraged. Etc. And you have used it "well." A high compliment, indeed. (Like the ancient Catholic "High Mass" in Latin.) I can not offer higher praise. "Sum laude." Good for you . . .
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Review by Elijah Jones Author IconMail Icon
Rated: 13+ | (4.5)
This work offers a lovely symmetry. A look back on itself. Like a mirror. Facing a mirror. Into infinity, or thereabouts.

The echo of the lines . . .

"O to drink the wine of forgetfulness
to look back and never remember this day"

. . . made me wonder: Was it "true" irony, truly? Or was it a deliberate attempt to recognize the fact that the "wine of forgetfulness" leads to a different way of remembering things, differently?

Hmmmmmmm . . . Now that's a thought.

No matter. You have righteously delivered a lovely literary tid-bit that got my mind working (ca-chun-ka) and my creative juices running.

Thanks for that . . .
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Review of Elements  Open in new Window.
Review by Elijah Jones Author IconMail Icon
Rated: E | (4.0)
This piece had a wonderful haiku quality to it. Charming. Delightful. Engaging. Imaginative. It reminded me of the movie "The Fifth Element," in which "The Deity" was personified as a quirky character portrayed by Milla Jovovich. The most intriguing line: "Beautiful destruction lie wake in its path." What a powerfully contradictory phrase.
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