Thank you for sharing from your personal story and how that moment changed everything. I liked how you used rhymes even though it has an uneven rhythm – makes it flow a certain way.

I can actually see her in my mind’s eye, sitting in a corner, in her own world. This evoked sad feelings in me about getting old to be honest – is that how we are supposed to end life, alone, lost in our own world? (I know, a tad morbid) I like how you expressed it in simple language yet creating the image of where she is and what state she is in

I like how this is so concisely matter of fact and yet says a lot about the reality of having ageing parents and not being able to take care of them any more. Growing up I lived with my grandmother who had senile dementia. This resonates with me at a deep level.

I totally feel all the feelings that are in this poem – the guilt and the overwhelm and the reality. Sometimes putting it down on paper like this makes it all so clear. I liked your use of rhymes and yet being expressive of the situation and why it is necessary to adjust expectations. Rather sad, but evoked empathetic emotions. Nice work

So many of us struggled with the empty page on this prompt. I like your piece, thank you for sharing

Hahaha! This is amusing and especially relatable because it is also true for me. Excellent work

I read this because the title intrigued me – I like how the poem is woven around the stage and scenery, but the real point is the blank stare. Thanks for sharing, enjoyed reading it

I have a friend telling this very story so this resonates with me in a tangible way. I liked your use of rythm especially in the first stanzas. I like it

Thanks Peggy – sadly a reality . Thanks for reading

I like how you have navigated through what worked and what didn’t, and the tangibly sympathetic way you have tackled the subject of seeking help and healing after a crisis. This is a powerful read, thank you for sharing

This was so moving and realistic, pain palpable in the way the hurt think and act towards others. I also liked the multiple POVs, made it even more alive and both characters sympathetic (I felt triggered when I read the potatoes part, but telling it from Frank’s point of view helped me process what was happening better. Well done, I have been to…[Read more]

I enjoyed reading this. The title intrigued me when I read the first part, and I liked how it ended. Nicely done, I also liked your balanced use of dialogue and description to pull the story together and express the humanity of the guardian angel

This made me giggle “The worst thing to happen would be a bare chested man bursting through the door to ravish them. She was overdue for a good ravishing.” – would that not be the best thing for her hahaha. I loved how you effectively used the dialogue and how present all the characters were. (sidebar: I also like the idea of writers getting…[Read more]

Oh interesting! At my former workplace, they called it a scheme. I was completely out of ideas and was quite surprised that I was able to make something of this topic. Thank you for reading and your comment

Thank you 🙂 no doubt there is more that she could have fallen for, but exploring a few of the things was fun

The repetition is great and works for this poem. Good work!

Thank you Beth 🙂

This is an interesting poem. I have felt the emotions of the MC with certain books. I liked how you said nail biting “and my nails dwindled” – that was really cool. A well written piece about being taken into the world of fiction.