I think if you grounded the poem with a good solid image for the reader to latch on to, it would make the poem more memorable. For example, maybe include a specific instance of experiencing the new feeling. That would let us know what else is going on in the poem and open it up for other memorable images. This is a great start and you could do a lot of different things with it.

I think your advice is spot on. It does seem like a cop-out of an ending :p 

I think your overall idea of self-doubt is strong.  If I had one piece of feedback it would be to work on the ending.  "But soon I can expect only a shell of my former self" effectively conveys the idea that self-doubt is consuming the author, but I wonder if it would work even better if it was phrased in stronger language or perhaps was a little more expressive.  I guess for me it just seems like a bit of a bland ending.  But overall, nice work!

If you're going to write a poem this short, you need to use strong, concise language. What you do here is spell things out for the reader and it has no emotional impact.

>I don't know when it started, this crippling self doubt  

>But soon I can expect only a shell of my former self. 

I feel like many people can relate to this (including me). I understand that feeling of not knowing when it started and that feeling of "losing yourself" and leaving nothing behind. I think the poem is a bit bland though and could use more enticing language

A new feeling in my life that I did not expect  

Doubt, almost every step of the way  

I feel it when I want, when I do, when I wish  

I feel it take over my ideas, but not my head  

I don't know when it started, this crippling self doubt  

But soon I can expect only a shell of my former self.  

https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/comments/466j4u/a_lonely_champion/d03j3i6

https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/comments/466h53/osfed/d03iypx



A New Feeling