Overview of Reviewing Process
First of all, let me start by saying it is very courageous of you to take the leap and start publishing your work for people to see and review. While this can be nerve-racking but it is a necessary step if you are serious about improving your craft-skills.
The following review is based on my experience from reading and reviewing poems in several University poetry classes, my knowledge of poetry that has come through reading hundreds (if not thousands) of professional and amateur poems, and my opinion/feelings.
I will rate your poem on ten items, and your overall star rating will be the average of the ratings given.
Please feel free to respond to this rating, ignore it, or only take the parts you wish and leave the rest. I will give you an honest review based on my experience and opinion. If you cannot handle it you may want to reconsider posting works for others to view.
Cheers,
MattyZink
Meter/Rhyme/Rhythm
A rhyming poem can often be difficult to write as it can force people to use awkward phrasing or archaic language to get the target rhyme word . You do none of the previous mentioned. The rhyme is good, but does feel a little forced at times.
Rating: 4.5/5
Layout and line breaks
Line breaks and verse structure don't automatically make something a poem. The breaks work together with punctuation to show the reader how the poem is to be read. Reading out loud is important to find the natural pauses, and the places where you need to guide the reader.
Your poem reads well out loud, it's easy to follow the way you intended it to be read. This is something which is rarely found in amateur poetry. Well done.
Rating: 5/5
Form and Structure
The form and content of your poem should complement each other.
Yours does. The form is perfectly formatted to the topic matter you're writing about.
Rating: 5/5
Title
Your title should should add something to the piece, as well as drawing the reader in. Remember, your title is the first thing a reader sees, and they will only take a second to consider reader your poem or skipping it.
While your title draws in the politically minded (your target audience) like myself, it may actually put off some casual readers.
Rating: 4.5/5
Sound
I always suggest reading your poem out loud. Remember, poetry was meant to be read out loud, not read in a quiet room by yourself.
Your poem reads well, it has the characteristics of a song, something again which is rarely found in amateur poetry.
Rating: 5/5
Subject
It's easy to forget that poetry is art, not a diary entry, nor journalism. If the poem deal with one of the 'big' subjects like love or peace it must show a new perspective on the issue.
Your poem borderlines on journalism, but breaks beyond that to the point of art which poetry necessitates.
Rating: 5/5
Internally consistent images
Metaphors and similes are a poet's tools, but they need to have some kind of internal logic. Consider 'the train disappeared into the tunnel like a mouse into its hole'. It's true that the tunnel entrance might be like a mouse hole, but can the train be like a mouse? It isn't shaped like a mouse, nor does it move like one.
Your images are consistent and poignant. A reader not used to reading some heavy political poetry may be shocked by some of the bold statements you made. Well done, good poetry should shock the reader.
Rating: 5/5
Appropriate vocabulary/Clichés
Always avoid clichés, they do nothing but hurt your poem.
There are none in this poem. Your vocabulary is highly appropriate to the subject matter you presented.
Rating: 5/5
Superfluous adjectives and adverbs
Often images come across more effectively if the reader has to work a bit: don't use a list of adjectives where one judiciously chosen one will work as well. Each adjective tends to weaken the noun; each adverb weakens the verb.
Your short bursts style of writing is excellent, it doesn't overdue descriptions.
Rating: 5/5
Showing vs. telling
If you say 'I was happy' I have to take your word for it. If, instead, you tell me the symptoms of your happiness -- how you saw the world around you, how your body felt etc -- I can deduce your happiness for myself and empathize with it.
You show, you don't tell. Well done. I am able to understand the point you were trying to make without difficulty.
Rating: 5/5
Final Thoughts
Overall an excellent poem, one of the best I've seen on this site. Too often people write about 'fluff' subjects such as love, and do nothing important with their work. You, however, reach far beyond this. I can only hope your poem shocks a reader enough to make them change their perspective on the world.
Cheers,
Matty
Final Rating: 4.9/5 |
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