Vixility's comments

Nothing fascinates nor horrifies me more than the reality of warfare and the shedding of blood we impose upon each other. What I deeply appreciate about this poem—in addition to the stylized imagery and its concluding aphorism—is that the poem is (presumably) written by an individual who experienced this dark facet of our human nature. Allusions, of course, direct our attention to contemporary wars abroad, and no doubt an opinion of it is here hinted at. When an individual—especially a poet—who has experienced first hand the cruelty and consequences of war’s rapacious nature comes to me with something to say concerning it, my ears are open. more »

I could never approach fathoming such a loss. My heart goes deeply out to you.

… and that you’re sharing your pain to help others heal is a deep and selfless and beautiful thing.

Hahaha … indeed, indeed. This is a very clever poem and fun to read through. I’m always curious with how poets come up with or discover the topics they write about. I would love to know how the idea for this one came about. more »

Beautiful poem. Its sentiment reminds me of a passage from Swedenborg’s “Arcana Colestia” (AC 8455):

“Peace holds within itself trust in the Lord, the trust that He governs all things and provides all things, and that He leads towards an end that is good.”

The allusion to Hebrews 4:12 was also a delightful add-in. Again, lovely piece. more »

Nice poem. Who wouldn’t love the message?

Nicely done …

Nwafor! I could say the same of your poetry. Your flower poem—exquisite language. And “Crushed”, my God vivid (I like that Macbeth line).

Thanks for the comment and thanks for stopping by

Wow! The way you use language is fantastic! Gilded, dank darkness, forbidden creatures, swellings of ego … love your style and the way your mind thinks.

Love the beauty, simplicity and depth of this poem. I especially have a deep affinity for the message of the poem: God and our salvation. Nicely done …

I agree with Kim, the positive shift of the last stanza was delightful

I gather from this poem the complex state of our collective human condition: the negative and positive dynamics we all share with each other, and an overall desire and hope (throughout the poem) for respect and unity rather than division and antipathy. I read this poem three times—am I even close?

I particularly thought that the mystical language closing the poem was a unique touch which added a euphoric feeling to the work and ‘spiritualized’ the poem’s plea.

Yes. I enjoyed this piece very much. more »

I had a blast working on this poem—so many possible directions I could have taken. Overall, I’m pretty satisfied with the result here …

Thanks for swinging by

Thank you, Sue! I’m really proud of this particular piece. I originally wrote it years ago, but recently revised it as I wasn’t entirely satisfied with the language and imagery used. I can now say I feel pretty good about this piece along with the unfolding of the story. Fun stuff … more »

The language in this poem is pretty impressive. Based on some of the content, my guess is you are probably a fan of Friedrich Nietzsche—and if not Nietzsche, some of the other existentialists.

Hey, nice to see you here! Stopped by your page and enjoyed your work as well. Hope to see more!

Wow, Jessica! (Can I call you Jessica?) Completely agree with Ronald below. I love both of your bios: both the site’s bio you left and your amazing poetic bio.

I’m hoping hoping hoping that you will be leaving more of your works here. Excellent piece … more »

That is way too kind an exaggeration, Randy, but thank you nonetheless. Like I said before, I’ve been a fan of your works for nearly two years. Can’t wait to see what you come up with in the next contest.

Thank you for stopping by and checking out this piece. more »

Hey, thank you Talia! (Can I call you Talia?) I really enjoyed trying to imagine the dire situation from Paris’ perspective: what kind of fear did he feel (did he feel fear), would he abandon Helen (of course he wouldn’t abandon Helen), and what would it be that he would desire differently from the scourge of impending warfare (serenity one love, of course).

The REALLY fun and challenging part is that I wanted to see if I could convey all this adequately in just three stanzas. Hope it worked …

Thank you for swinging by and leaving a comment. more »

Blake, this poem is awesome!! Incredibly descriptive imagery. The ending caught me by surprise the first time I read it—a lovely poetic tactic … hope to read more.

Excellent piece! This was among my pinned poems for the month of April.

It reminds me of that quote (there’s a heated debate as to who said it):

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” more »

You are an exceedingly talented writer! Your verse is also exceptionally creative.

Love this poem—which was among my pinned poems in April’s contest—along your other piece: “Tempest of Temptation”. more »

Loved this piece! It was among my pinned poems for April’s contest.

Curious if you have a link to that sill-life photo you made?

Incidentally, this poem was among my pinned …

A sucker for meter and rhymed poetry, I’ve been a long time fan of your works and the topics you choose.

Yep, I was among those horrified to ask a girl out; and yes, it got easier as time passed.

That’s funny: the line your wife hated was the one that had me openly chuckle. more »

I really enjoyed this read—it was one of the poems I pinned for the April contest. The imagery is tranquil and serene. The closing lines remind me of Rilke’s “Ninth Elegy”:

“Everyone once, once only. Just once and no more. And we also once, never again. But this having been once, although only once, to have been of the earth, seems irrevocable.”

Thank you for sharing this piece. more »