Claire, thanks for your poem! It matches the times we are in. The pandemic adds to the stress of all of us and I think it’s important to emind ourselves that we are doing the best we can, eventhough it might not seem enough at the moment. Your last phrase drives the message home!

Most of us are too hard on ourselves, expecting to never make mistakes, never look imperfect, never have an unworthy thought. Extending grace to others comes easier than extending that same grace to ourselves. You captured that reality well. Beautiful expression.

A very thought provoking poem – a call to action for the reader to be true to themselves.

Hi Claire,
There are some wise words here. I like the line: ‘Compare not your story, feather or ink’ – good advice for the aspiring poet, I’d say.

Hi Claire – a bold poem indeed. You have some great rhyming going on here. One of my favourite lines is this one: Don’t be bulled to their matador
If I might make a suggestion. I feel it would be a little easier to read if you broke it into four verses. Or did you mean to do this and it just went together when you posted it?
If not and you want to put verses in you can use an asterix in between each verse to force a line space.

Also two small edits required on this line: Atleast you’re true and willimg to self-restore
You need a space after At and you need to fix willing

Well done and thanks for sharing.

The world of a poet!

Soul crunchers.
They are like Pied Pipers.
I love your poem, you capture it all perfectly, especially the lines:

The narcs fight back with aggressivity
Then the next, you’re all they adore

and your ‘dont be bulled to their matador’

Top notch stuff Claire, Thanks.
L

Hi Claire, I love the idea of ignoring the critics. It’s so important not to be afraid of your own skill and imagination. Well done with this poem.

An inspiring poem indeed! It encourages you to follow your intuition and ignore all the demons creating self- doubt. Well written🙂✌

Powerful poem. Because narc in my world means narcotics agent, that stopped though not long enough to matter. I did wish the last line – so critical – were broken into three…maybe even allowing the last two lines to be their own stanza.

Dear Claire
Your poem was an intellectual take on the prompt, which was so well written. Well done!

Hello Claire, I love how the poem relates to life and its challenges, how one comes out of it better without having to ask ‘why’. Lovely poem about nature and lessons learned from it. Thank you.

I am at a strange, new territory transition in life, full of questions but trusting for the answers whatever they might be. Your poem, each line, is thought-filled wisdom. Every bit of it spoke to me. I love these two lines: No growth lives in the past and change is never easy, and Only you know what is needed, to one day face darkness, like the moon. Well done. Thank you so much for writing this.

I really like how you used metamorphosis to discuss whether asking why matters–the symbolism and imagery really click here. Nicely done!

Hi Claire, I really enjoyed this. The rhyming scheme and the thought behind it. A really beautiful poem. My only suggestion is to put a space between howcome (in the second last line).

Hi Claire, I very much like the imagery you have used to portray the freedom of the butterfly to emerge and fly unfettered by questions about its past.

Hi Claire, I enjoyed your poem, short and sweet. It really made me think. So many of us are trapped in our own thoughts and minds.
Well done.

Hi Claire
You have a point – an important one. If not write and read about it, then how can we be aware of it?
Thank you.

We are all prisoners of our own worries about what the rest of the world thinks about us. Your poem encapsulates the reason why we can never be truly free.

Very strong poem Claire. You convey the rage and frustration well.

The poem flows nicely except for the second line. The second and last 2 lines aren’t 10 syllables like a conventional sonnet. The last 2 lines being a rhyming couplet don’t stand out too much for the lacking syllables an possibly pack a stronger punch because of straying from convention, but the second line breaks the good flow of the piece a bit.

Well done on a strong message.

Well done, Claire. I like killing with kindness. I live outside of Minneapolis. I feel the pain.

I like how you expressed the wide range of problems with the spot on attitude. I agree that the couplet needs to be stronger, more ending impact. Send out your sonnet. Let you poetic voice be heard!
Thank you for expressing.
Thia

Hi Claire,
I like the title and its meaning is expressed well throughout the poem.
well done

Powerful. The opening quatrain: perfect
This rage cannot die down as yet my dear
Enslaved, consumed but not destroyed fuck fear
Our minds break free and will not be moulded
No longer we walk through life blindfolded.

I hope this for all of us. No longer to walk through life blindfolded. Tearing down strongholds all around. Thank you for expressing this conflict between the rage and anger of injustice and the deep desire for peace.

Hi Claire, This is certainly a forceful sonnet, with the interesting, perhaps unexpected twist that the perpetrators of crime against humanity should be smothered with love, not hate. Something we could all learn. Well done for taking an original, peaceful view. I just wonder whether you might consider taking out a fuck or two? I’m not against the word, just I feel that its impact is lessened by repetition.

A very powerful and much needed message especially in today’s times. I would suggest you add a language warning for those with sensitivities to harsh language.
My favorite line was: “Let’s kill these fuckers with kindness and love”. It really grabbed me. I thought, oh my God what is she advocating for here? until I finished the line and thought wow that’s a really powerful thought. Thank you for your poem.

Love this – very powerful imagery and I think brilliant use of swear words, too, conveys the rage – I also really love the contrasting in the last line. The writing shows your passion, and it’s great to hear a passionate plea for love to end division, rather than destructive railing against the system. If you wanted to work on something it’s on how your poem scans, I think – e.g. our minds won’t be moulded fits, I think, better into the rhythm you intended. Hope that makes sense! Well done!!