Name: nott theodore (Signed) · Date: 28 Jan 2019 12:50 PM · For: I'm writing to tell you

Hi Gina!  Here for RvG and the Magical Menagerie!

 

About three different people have told me that I need to come and read this poem, so I couldn't miss the opportunity.  I've always loved your writing, but I don't think I've ever read any of your original fiction before, and now I'm definitely going to be coming back for more!

 

This was a really beautiful poem.  Sometimes I find freeverse a little jarring with the way that it breaks sentences up, but I think the effect worked really well in this piece; I think you really captured the way that the narrator's thoughts were meandering and darting around to different memories that came to them as they talked.

 

I really like the ambiguous nature of the relationship that's told through this poem.  At first, it seems like the recipient of the letter is someone who's a penpal, but there are certain moments and memories throughout the piece which made me wonder whether the relationship was stronger or meant more; whether it was an absent friend that the narrator was writing to, or someone they'd once had a relationship with.

 

The variety of memories that were shared in this piece were really lovely, and they definitely helped to build up a picture of a shared history and a sense of nostalgia that really made the narrator (and me) smile.  The ending felt poignant, and a little sad - I found myself wondering whether this "penpal" had been simply ignoring the narrator since they went away... or if they actually had a choice about writing in response.  The ambiguity of this made it appear so powerful and effective, and I loved the many interpretations that a reader could take from this.

 

Sian :)

Author's Response:

Hello Sian!

 

OMG three people sent you here?! I am so flattered! And I am SO happy to hear that you enjoyed the freeverse. It's definitely my preferred style but I know it isn't everyone's cup of tea. But AH you totally nailed what I was trying to do, with the meandering thoughts and memories. I am giddy!

 

This review. I can't. You are seriously inside my brain, here, because I was kind of hinting at something more with this relationship. I left it somewhat vague on purpose, but there is an intimacy here that I imagine could have been something more than just friendship at one point in time, but it's clear that they are separated now and they have somehow lost contact. I image that physical distance is the issue and that emotional distance soon followed. But YES, I was hoping to leave this up to the interpretation of the reader because that's something I love about reading poetry myself. :)

 

You're the best! Thank you!

 

* Gryffindor Sand Castle, Finale 2020! *

Name: TreacleTart (Signed) · Date: 22 Jan 2019 07:04 PM · For: I'm writing to tell you

Hey there!

 

I'm back for another Magical Menagerie and Gyffindor Red vs. Gold Review Battle January 2019 Review! Again, I'm here to get my poetry fix in. You write such lovely pieces that I just couldn't resist.

 

I see a trend towards freeverse in your poetry so far! That's cool because you write it so well. Sometimes, I've found that freeverse can be choppy or chunky, but yours is so smooth and free flowing. It makes it very easy to read.

 

The subject in this is so lovely and bittersweet. This was clearly a very cherished friend, but it sounds that by the end like that person might've sort have disappeared from your life. The memories are still very fond, but there's a tinge of sadness in the memory of the sticky hands and the way you say you would settle for a letter.

 

As always, your descriptions are so lovely in this. I don't know how you come up with such beautiful ways to describe such normal things, but it's really a gift. In particular, I love the way you compared wispy hair on an older person to your memories of dancing.

 

Another beautiful piece!

 

~Kaitlin

Author's Response:

Hi Kaitlin!

 

Yes, I definitely like freeverse. Partly because rhyming is way too hard (:P) but also partly because freeverse is so fun to play around with. To me, poetry is about capturing an emotion, and sometimes the more structured poetry doesn't allow me to fully express what I'd like to express. I have written structured poetry and I have read some that are BEAUTIFUL, but it's not my typical style.

 

Bittersweet is a great way to describe this poem. The narrator is very fond of this friend/more-than-friend, but something has gone amiss and they've lost contact. I like to think that all will end well and this is merely a bump in the road. :) 

 

Thank you for reading and for the sweet compliments!

 

* Gryffindor Sand Castle, Finale 2020! *

Name: TreacleTart (Signed) · Date: 22 Jan 2019 06:45 PM · For: Fifth Row at the Opera

Hey there!

 

I'm here to drop off another review for the Magical Menagerie and Gryffindor Red vs. Gold review battle for January 2019! I love reading poetry and I feel like it often doesn't get enough love on the archives, so I thought I'd drop by and leave you a review on this.

 

This was a very unique poetry format. Free verse, but it kind of reads to me like spoken word. I think it's the way that it all runs together in long lines. Like I know that there are sentence breaks and commas and periods, but it reads quickly, the way spoken word often does.

 

Your description in this is absolutely stunning. The way you describe the opera itself and then the action of sitting and breathing and absorping the music. You paint such a complete and moving picture. The ending of the song was particularly lovely and the concept of the audience mourning the loss of voice.

 

I love how you put so much thought into the breath aspect of this piece too. Opera takes so much breath control for the singers, so it's nice to see the audience also dealing with breath. It's a nice sort of mirrored effect. (Hope that makes sense).

 

Anyway, beautiful as always. I'm envious of your skill with words.

 

~Kaitlin

Author's Response:

Hi Kaitlin! 

 

I love how you've compared this piece to the spoken word. I actually read all my poems aloud before deciding they're finished because I think poetry has such a significant tie to sound and experience. So I'm glad that it came across! And yes, your comment about the mirrored effect makes a lot of sense! I was hoping to create something like that, because I feel like when I am paying such close attention to someone, I start to mimic them in a way. Like when I watch a movie and someone is underwater, it's almost like I forget to breathe! So I wanted to play around with that sensation here.

 

Thanks for stopping by and for leaving such kind words! <3

Name: Crimson Quill (Signed) · Date: 20 Jan 2019 03:52 PM · For: I'm writing to tell you

 

Hey Gina,

 

I love this. I thought it was really beautiful, I thought the narrator had this great voice that has a lot of sadness but at the same time that seemed to be so much happiness within those memories. You use such wonderful language that it feels like I've got such a vivid picture of their relationship. All those references which obviously the reader knows about just makes it so personal, those little moments that make up a life as a whole.

 

you've done a great job here, I thought it was so deep. It felt almost like I shouldn't be looking at this because it's too deeply personal. just that longing in the poem. I really want to reach out to the writer to say that I'm coming back and I'll be there for them. It honestly makes me feel like I want to just hold them.

 

this piece was so wonderful because it was so delicate but so vivid. The world needs your writing. honestly. it does. so poignant.

 

congrats on this lovely piece.

 

- Abbi xo

 

For: Magical Menagerie/RvG

 

Author's Response:

Abbi! What a sweet review. <3

 

I love that you connected to the narrator here. That makes me so happy! It is a bittersweet poem, but I like to think it will all end happily (because I'm a sap).

 

Thank you!

 

* Gryffindor Sand Castle, Finale 2020! *

Name: M C Crocker (Signed) · Date: 03 Dec 2018 02:48 PM · For: I'm writing to tell you

This was a lovely piece.  I love how you opted to tell the story of what was happening in the friends absence.  It painted a whole world for me in just a few simple words.  I also love the emotion in this that brings about the familiar memories of friends who are far away.  I love the longing that is found here as the author seeks out to hear back if only briefly from the dearly missed friend.

I really enjoyed this read and again the imagry was sublime.  Thank you for such an elegant read.  Also sorry for the delay in your reviews for winning my challenge.  I hadn't forgotten, life just got busy.

Author's Response:

Thanks for the kind words! I love that you interpreted it as a friendship. I had a romantic relationship in mind when I wrote it, but I love that a reader can make a story/poem/fic their own by how they imagine it. 

Name: 800 words of heaven (Signed) · Date: 03 Dec 2018 07:14 AM · For: Fifth Row at the Opera

Hello, Gina! I had to trade a shiny sword with a Niffler for this review! All in the name of Kaitlin/TreacleTart!

 

It has been so long since I visited your AP! I still fondly remember us collaborating on the speed dating challenge way back in 2014. You were so wonderful and supportive of my writing then, and are such an inspiration to me today. Your stories are definitely #writinggoals! I thought I’d try something a little different, today, however. Instead of jumping into your prose and see what adventures your stories would take me on, I decided to give your poetry a shot!

 

I must give fair warning: I don’t read a lot of poetry, so excuse this review if it sounds a little silly and naïve. This was so great, though! I kinda love the idea of writing a prose poem about the experience of music. When I think of poetry, I always associate it with rhythm, and obviously, music also shares this quality. To me, poetry can be like word-music. But you’ve turned this personal concept entirely on its head for me! I just came here to read about the experience of listening to music, and I’m leaving with a shift in my worldview! Amazing.

 

Is the person in this poem listening to live orchestral music? That is the vibe I got. I was totally imagining someone playing a reed or brass instrument. Towards the end, I felt it was more a brass instrument. There was just a lot of force involved in the experience – for everyone involved – and I associated that with something brass.

 

This was just so lovely, and I’m so glad I’ve returned to your AP. Do not be surprised if I drop by again with another rambling review later this month.

 

Xx 800

Author's Response:

Ah, the Speed Dating challenge! That was so fun. <3 

 

Thank you for the sweet compliments. You are so nice! I don't read or write a lot of poetry, but I do dabble. In my mind, to write a poem is to convey a vivid experience. At least, that's what I try to do. I imagined that the narrator here was listening to someone sing, but I think it encapsulates the experience of listening to music in general, and I think brass instruments fit well here because of my focus on breath. I have always loved going to concerts because I find them particularly moving, so I wanted to capture that experience here. I'm so glad you liked it!

Name: Rumpelstiltskin (Signed) · Date: 13 Aug 2018 10:28 PM · For: Mermaid

Hey!

 

I love the analogy woven into this. While the mermaid has her tale in the light of day, everything is bright and vivid. Your word chocie is beautiful, making everything feel so vibrantly alive, like freedom. Then, when dusk calls, and she's forced to leave her tail behind, the mood changes drastically. Everything slows, and the word choice and imagery brings the macabre on so suddenly it's almost shocking.

 

While there are a lot of different analogies I can think of, the first that comes to mind is the circle of life, where when the mermaid has her tail, it is representative of youth. She is full of life and energy as she dives just as deep as she can, the sea is hers. It reminds me of being young and free and having the feeling that you're unstoppable, like the world is yours. Then as the sun sets, it reminds me of aging. The mermaid retires her fins (being unable to swim freely in the ocean's depths) in the same manner that the elderly can no longer do the things they once could.

 

The loss of light and decent into night (or darkness) could be representative of life and death in this instance (light representing life and darkness representing death), and the way the sun is setting ("the sun bleeds low, burnt orange, no longer pure") screams of the process of aging and dying, especially when you take into account that youth generally represents innocence and the image of blood, in terms of death and dying.

 

Of course, then there's the more concrete evidence with the dying light, which of course, reminds me of death, as do the bodies growing algae (which reminds me of old things, because old things are known for growing things like mold -- though that one might be a bit of stretch).

 

At any rate, I loved this (in both a concrete and abstract sense).

 

Rumpels

 

[Quadpot | Match Three -- review a story with no reviews.]

Author's Response:

Thanks for stopping by! (And sorry for the late response...) I loved reading your interpretation. The beautiful thing about poetry, in my opinion, is that the poem is just as much yours as it is mine, because we can all interpret it as we wish. I like the idea of the poem coming to life over and over again through each person's eyes. So thank you for sharing your vision with me. It's so cool to see. :)

Name: StarFeather (Anonymous) · Date: 17 May 2018 03:56 AM · For: Fifth Row at the Opera

Hi, again, me from Gryffindor Review Tag. I thought of dropping a review in your Amelia, but again, I chose here first. Because the title caught my eyes and I was curious to know you write a poem. (Sorry, I did some typos in the previous review. )

 

As one of musicians, I have the same experience as the one who performs in the audiences and as the audience. I sing songs, so I could understand how the singers use their body. Breathing is very important and you expressed the process beautifully.

 

And it's impressive you described the moment when the audiences listen to the song, how they react or prepare for it. Your words told us the tension between the artist and the listeners. I like it. I guess the first half was written about the beginning impact, perhaps crescendo. So the latter half of the spot, the exoression about decrescendo became conspicuous. Thank you for sharing a lovely poem.

 

K

Author's Response:

Thank you for stopping by to read this piece! I’m glad it resonated with you and felt authentic. I’m not a poet by any means so I’m thrilled to hear that this poem worked. 

Name: justawillowtree (Signed) · Date: 14 May 2018 11:06 PM · For: I'm writing to tell you

The lyrical melancholy in this poem is beautiful. Every image, every word, has a tinge of fondness to it, or a wistfulness, and I can feel it, and I love it. The familiarity you manage to infuse into such a short piece is so marvelous; the speaker obviously knows the implied audience so, so well, and the casual references to names that we as readers may not know but that the speaker’s audience certainly does just makes this poem so much more.

 

If I read this poem in school, it would be one of my favorites. It fits in perfectly with the standard of the published pieces we read, while also having a subtle emotional quality that just draws me to it.

 

You did such a beautiful job with this! I read your other pieces and thought they were equally beautiful. This one touched me most though so I came here to leave a review, but I’ll definitely be back to give you a proper response to the other ones. <3

 

~Eva

Author's Response:

I about died when I read this review. I can’t tell you how nervous I was to share this poem, and to hear that it’s up to par with published works? Yep. Dead. Thank you for your kind words and for being just generally awesome!