General Disclaimer: My review is only my opinion, and is only meant to be helpful to you. If you don't agree with something I said or suggested, that is your right as the author. No matter what though, keep writing!
My Rating:
2, I liked your poem but also think there are things could be improved. If you choose to make any changes, I would be happy to come back and take another look. Just let me know. :)
Impression of Title:
This is certainly intriguing, and what made me take notice of the poem. However, I was curious to see an explanation for it when I clicked on the poem, and was disappointed not to find one. I had to go look it up and was glad to see that it did fit the poem. I am not saying I think you should change the title, just that a little description afterwards might help, or even a direct sentence in the poem relating your poem's topic and the title's topic.
My thoughts:
I like how you chose to express you thoughts on this topic, but I think there are a number of things you could improve to bring this poem to full potential. I also enjoyed your descriptions and how you compare real-life to myth.
Flow/Rhythm:
I believe this is shaky, at best. You do not have much consistency, nor do you use any common poetic devices. Something that stands out to me is your repeated stanza, which is normally a good thing, except that you do not keep it consistent from the first one to the second one. You have a different syllable for each one due to changing the last line. I have seen repeated stanzas that change the last lines so they are different but still compliment each other, and I feel like you did not do this either.
I also have another comment on your repeated stanzas- the ellipses (...). These throw me off when reading this piece. They both ruin any possible flow. The first stanza could be easily fixed by ending it on
'learning,' with a period instead of ellipses. The second one would be a bit harder, I am not sure in what ways you could adjust it.
Spelling, Grammar, Punctuation, and Tech Issues:
You did good on this, you held it mostly consistent throughout, which as I have said is very important poetry. The only places I think could see improvement is your first and fifth stanzas, where you have capitals and ellipses but no inner punctuation. I suggest turning the punctuation in this:
'Little by little
As time passes by
I am learning the...'
into something like this:
Little by little,
as time passes by,
I am learning the...
And then doing something similar with the fifth stanza if you decide to make changes.
Suggestions:
Those above, of course, as well as a few more.
You use a lot of adverbs/adjectives, and I think this actually takes away from the intensity of your poem. You do not need description words if your base word is strong enough, and in poetry you should also strive to use strong word the first time around. Your second, third, and fourth stanzas could all be improved in this manner. An example: Turn
'Trickster behind the innocent looks...' into
Trickster behind the innocence, or even
Tricks behind the innocence. If you choose to use this suggestion, I would ask that you do something similar to the following two stanzas so you create a nice flow and of course consistency.
Also, I think a similar issue exists with your sixth, seventh, and eighth stanzas. You use extra words like 'you' a lot, even though your subject is already established. This again takes away from the impact of the poem. Example: Turn
'Learn to despise you' into
Learn to despise. Don't forget to do this to the other two stanzas if you use this suggestion.
And finally, I do not think I fully understand the last lines of your last three stanzas. Take
'...than live the world you made me to cry' for example. What does
'live the world' mean? Live
in the world? I also get confused on what you mean by
'the world you made me to cry.' I think this is due to an awkward phrasing as well as your passive voice (which is created by using the 'to'). I am not sure of the possibilities there are to go about editing this, but I do hope you will think on it.
Overall:
A poem with amazing potential that I truly hope to see reached! I would also love to see your potential as a poet reached, and that is my main goal in writing this review- to help you learn and succeed. Please consider my comments with an open mind and feel free to disregard any you do not agree with. If you have any questions, I would love to hear from you and be glad to help in any way.
Love, Life, and Covens