Decisions

First feedback Im giving, so if im doing it wrong, apologies... I keep getting hung up on the use of 'had' rather than 'have' in the second line. I want to say the latter feels like it would be more powerful, but on the other hand your word choice does seem very specific and poignant throughout the whole piece, and slipping that past tense in does have its use as well, especially given the content (re: play between past, present, and future selves) 'Nostalgia for my previous lonely self' I love this line, there is alot there As u proby know nostalgia is from the greek 'nostos+algia' former being home and latter being pain, all together its pain at returning home(homecoming) or pain in relation to memories of home... Here there is a sadness and somberness about leaving behind that 'previous lonely self' but also an implicit awareness that embracing what is coming is intimidating, daunting even. A true 'leap of faith'... I feel a terrifying stepping out of ones comfort zone (shell, maybe even) and saying a nietzschean YES to reality spread out in front of you (or me, being the reader) 'Imaginary significance'... I think this poem is trying to capture the feeling of the sublime. An honest realization of oneself and ones relation to things, to the world, to the all. 'my illusions'... Initially thought line would be stronger without 'my' but upon rereading, not really sure. The piece is called 'decisions' and its clearly tracking a personal journey. 'My' does reinforce that... But maybe something to think about

And finally the coming whole circle snd returning with the word 'reality' ties it up very nicely. Beginning with the teetering on the chasm and ending with satisfaction... Strong. It emphasizes the nature of a personal journey to me... Not a typical physical journey, but a personal one. The narrator hasnt taken a single step outwardly but has gone a long way in thought, and returned with a powerful resolve. It is a journey that might happen in just an instant and prepares/motivates one to begin the physical journey, the leap of faith, as it were

Very enjoyable, love the msg, the style and the word choice ... Well done! I hope this is the sort of work r/ocpoetry is full of, having not yet had a chance to look any deeper... And i hope feedback is in the right vein

We all succumb to castle-building and forgetting about reality. What I like about your poem is the contrast between the two. These ruthful decisions are hard to make because it's never easy to build upon your ideas in the real world. You seem to underline that feeling by introspecting and sorting out your 'illusions', 'nostalgia' and 'imaginary significance'. It is difficult to not create one, huh?

I really like the pacing in the first stanza where the last line carries the meaning of urgency of those decisions. It just clicks immediately, and I almost wish the poem ended with kind of a similar abrupt line. Having said that, I feel a bit of hunger in the last stanza. It is a logical conclusion that you have to suck it up and be consumed by reality, but I kinda felt hanging there. This is where true struggle begins: getting away from daydreaming is one thing, adapting to truth is painful and usually carries no satisfaction.

I still like this poem because it speaks loudly about what people usually forget and then get crushed. Keep it up!

What's especially interesting here to me is the potential self-deception going on here. Is it really reality that Mr. Narrator is leaping into? Or is this whole "leaving illusions behind and being satisfied with reality" just another illusion? I don't know why I have this instinctual assumption that the poem is subverting itself, but I do, and that, at least, really speaks to me.

I like this! It speaks on many levels, it is direct but atill open to interpretation. Maybe having a more natural flow would help more, I feel like some of the words used are there just for the sake of being in there. Chasm of reality seems like it would hit harder, but for me it seems troublesome in the overall vibe of the poem. Teetering at the edge gives me a concrete image that still has the same effect as saying chasm of reality. Anyway hope that helps!