All four of my daughters were vets from the moment of birth. They were all born while I was on Active Duty, were born in Army hospitals, and bounced back and forth between the U.S. and West Germany with their mom and me (the eldest ones more than once).
Ouch. Too real for me today. I was homeless years ago and Montana has a high vet population struggling with personal issues. This literally could be today's headlines here.
My comment is based on professional editing points. It is meant to be honest, encouraging, and respectful in accordance with WDC guidelines.
THE POEM
The poem is a nice tribute to a military mother.
WHAT I LIKED
I can totally relate to this poem having served in the military myself. There are often times one worries and finds things to pass the time, but their loved one is never far from their hearts.
STRUCTURE
This is a villanelle. A villanelle is a highly structured poem with 5 tercets and ends with a quatrain. There are 2 repeating rythmes and 2 repeating refrains. The poem followed the structure. I thought the repeating refrains were very respectful and reverent. There's a nice rythme and flow when spoken outloud.
MECHANICS
I did not spot any spelling/punctuation mistakes. Good use of WDC ML to increase font and make easier to read on the website.
DESCRIPTIONS
I liked: With steadfast devotion, she prays to relieve the anxiety" The description draws up a visual of a mother, prayerful, with a holy book, or a passage, heart on their sleeve, looking to find peace. It's a great description and taps into somber emotion well.
PARTING THOUGHTS/SUGGESTIONS
The opening engages the reader. The title is a nice fit for the poem. Good luck in the Bard's Hall Contest.
Autumn brings a cast of frightful creatures
wrought from Mother Nature's wrath,
brought to bear on wings of Chaos,
taught by a raging psychopath.
Florence came to call and delivered
torrents of swirling wind and rain,
pouring toxic waste through streets and homes,
roaring across the plain.
Behind a traffic barricade,
we find a hungry crow
inclined to hunt for road kill.
He dined on mangled doe.
Satisfied, he preens his ruffled feathers.
Rats and cats and dogs quarrel,
battling to survive in scene
that begins the journey back to normal.
Author's Notes:
1. The Lento consists of two quatrains in which the openings of each line in each stanza must rhyme and the endings of the second and fourth lines in each stanza must rhyme, as described and demonstrated in the following link: http://www.shadowpoetry.com/resources/wip/lento.html
All Writing.Com images are copyrighted and may not be copied / modified in any way. All other brand names & trademarks are owned by their respective companies.
Generated in 0.18 seconds at 7:04pm on Jun 07, 2025 via server WEBX1.