Thank you for the feedback! I appreciate it a lot :)

I think your voice comes through really strongly in this poem. The disillusionment really shines through, and the frustration is almost palpable. Also, love the pun at the end, it’s corny but it works well. I’m not sure I would have finished with “this is all there ever is”, but it doesn’t not work either. Ending each stanza with a period also jumped out at me, it emphasizes the dissociated nature of the thoughts. Really enjoyed it, fine work.

Thank you!! I'm glad you like the title, though sorry you relate to it in that way.

I love how the title works with this. I often have felt that dark and depressed times can feel like purgatory so I find it very apt for this poem.

I absolutely loved this poem. Fun to read.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read and give feedback!! I'm really glad you liked it and that it had that effect on you.

I can definitely understand that critique, honestly the first stanza was what I was unsure of most since it feels a little bit too happy for the vibe of the rest of the poem. It sort of works as a juxtaposition, like a place can be beautiful and you can still resent it, but that wasn't really my intention and it's not continued through the poem at all. Definitely something to go back and rework.

Thanks again for the feedback!! Much appreciated:)

I read this poem last night and was still thinking about it this morning when I woke up, so that speaks to the effect it had on me. The lines with the near rhyme of Vine and die were especially memorable and made the strongest impression. It read darkly humorous to me. That entire stanza may be my favorite, I also liked the combo of trudging/truck. Throughout the poem there are examples of subtle internal rhyming that do not feel forced.

I think you did a great job capturing the frustration of resenting the place you live and illustrating why you feel that way. I liked the symmetry of the preacher at the beginning and the billboard at the end, it tied the poem together nicely. My only critique would be the first stanza feels a bit out of place from the rest of the poem, although I can also see how the juxtaposition could be intentional.

Thank you so much for the advice and feedback! I'll definitely revisit it at some point and try to polish it up a bit more :)

I enjoyed this poem— it feels like a series of vignettes that when compounded reveal a dissatisfaction with a mundane existence. 
It seems people have already commented about the somewhat atonal 1st stanza. I’ll agree there, though setting up the slate sky certainly helps prepare the reader. 
In general, I think this poem is executed well— I’d encourage you to go back and reread and ask yourself what you think works and what you think doesn’t. Are there more effective ways to phrase things? What if you swap around stanzas, does that make a difference you like or don’t like? I say this because I think offering line by line advice here would be too nitpicky, and tailoring to my own tastes, but I do think this poem could use some polish. 
Well done!

The idea of this world bring purgatory is really emphasised by words like "almost" and "grey". It shows how things are miserable but people know it can get worse so we don't say it's a "living hell" and would be told we're exaggerating despite things obviously getting worse around us.

Thank you so much!! I love what you said about encasing emotions in amber, that's the goal of a lot of my poetry, capturing emotions in words. I'm glad you like it, and thank you for reading :)

Another wonderful poem! One of my favorite things about your writing is how you take events throughout the day and perfectly encase them in an overarching theme. It works to preserve the emotion almost in a drop of amber, if that metaphor makes sense. Well done and as always thank you for sharing!


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ahh, didn't even think about that before but def agree now that you point it out. Will probs end up changing it later, thanks for the critique! :)

I kind of cringe at the pick up truck there cause it adds more syllables when you can just write Truck but that's just my opinion

A grey, cloud slated sky,  
trees still green,  
just whispers of yellow,  
and cool crisp air.

Pangs of a stomach unfed,  
forgot to eat, again.  
Walking by the campus preacher,  
who’s shouting to nobody  
about how we’re all going to Hell,  
or something.

Trudging across a crosswalk,  
almost hit by a truck  
that didn't bother to slow down.  
What a shitty place to die,  
the intersection at 16th and Vine.

Lost my car in the parking garage,  
trying to leave this town that  
masquerades as a city,  
to fix my yellow and orange  
post breakup bleached hair.

Singing along to   
Phoebe Bridgers songs and  
driving seventy-five.  
Used to go ninety  
just to feel reckless,  
just to feel *something.*

A blue lives matter flag  
in someone's backyard.  
A Trump sign adorned barn.  
A billboard that says  
“When you die  
you will meet God.”

But I’m sure as hell  
that this is all there ever is.

&amp;#x200B;

[1](https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/comments/xm6l7o/comment/ipna2dr/?utm_source=share&amp;utm_medium=web2x&amp;context=3)  [2](https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/comments/xlyauw/comment/iplz66o/?utm_source=share&amp;utm_medium=web2x&amp;context=3)

Purgatory