r/OCPoetry•
[deleted]

Poetry is like playing Scrabble

[deleted]

Posted Jan 26, 2022, 12:43 AM UTC

396
dollyofthevalley•

I really like this. The first stanza talking about waiting for better letters could be interpreted, I personally think, a number of ways. You could have been making a metaphor for having a really good idea, having a burst in motivation, or just not being able to make anything work after writing something you'd felt really good about.

I found the second stanza a bit of a let down after how much I enjoyed the first. I think it could use work but you already have a very, very strong start. Though I do like the concept of a "human dictionary", it's interesting!

3
Ionizie•

Thanks for the comment!

I wanted to touch in the two things I personally need to learn with poetry:

The second stanza touched on the second thing I wanted to convey: If you’re not sure of what to write (when there’s a long word you’re unsure of in Scrabble), you need to slow down (stop shifting around the tiles endlessly) and look to your mind for inspiration (or in the dictionary to see if the word you made in Scrabble is going to get you a lot of points or won’t).

I will admit the second stanza doesn’t start off as strong as the previous one, but I wanted to say that you have to learn to see these things yourself. You have admit that this poem isn’t good, or that you may need to rethink.

But I’m definitely going to try to think of other ways to convey the idea of slowing down.

Thanks!

1
Olympiano•

The human dictionary line was my favourite. The idea of drawing words and insight from inside yourself through reflection - reading oneself. The underlying metaphor of self as a book is a cool one too, as it connects to the common metaphor of life as a story being written.

2
asearchforyou•

Whizbang! Ich mag das. It's a clever poem with a good playful insight into the various conditions of life lived in friendly competition with others.

2
[deleted]•

I think the poem is very short but good and to the point. I think it is very clever and has a flow to it. The only negative remark would be the length of the poem to me but I guess that would be up to the reader. I think the grammar is good as well. Keep on writing because your writing can only get better!

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