 ![Merit Badge in Inspirational W G
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Greetings Someone   , Thank you for your request. I was pleased to read "The Monkey's Ink Spill"  from your portfolio and it is my pleasure to give your writing a review.
July, 28 2025
 FIRST IMPRESSION
After a cursory read, which generally fires up my review engine, I was left with nothing to grasp onto. Generally I won't review anything I can't pigeon hole, you know, get it stuffed into its nice neat little cubby. This piece had defiance written all over it. So, a few days later, with many hours of pondering on what my expectations should be, I slowly peeked at a few of the words, tumbled through a bit of the imagery, and had to smile at what I found.
At third or fourth blink I finally identified my trouble spot (to get over!) Monkeys. Don't care for 'em. But in-line with the metaphor that you are in a "jungle of words," well, I'll just get over it won't I.
THEME
"The Monkey's Ink Spill" offers some serious lampooning of the idea that all forms of poetry, and probably prose itself must endure the ways of the rule makers. The author points out that a child understands the concept of story enough to create their own. So what is my struggle? Staying in the lines? What if 23 ideas are clogging up all my thought patterns and no amount of wrangling is going to put them inside the paramount, man-made forms, sanctified by the people who can make sense out of anything and then give you a rule for it.
STRUCTURE
A free form prose poem with helpful headers to highlight thought shifts. The author has made himself a character whose "monkey-like" traits seem to define his need to be completely random in his thoughts, but with a need to sort them all out. I'm not given to monkey-like traits, but any serious writer of any form is gong to understand the challenge.
MY FAVORITE MOMENT
This was my favorite moment:
“(Monkey See, Monkey Do Jr.)
Little dude, he's a chip off the old block, glued to Mama's phone, soaking up stories.
Wants to read my stuff, and suddenly the well's run dry.
Last week? Found out Papa Monkey's poem bank was empty.
So he did what any self-respecting mini-monkey would do: he made up his own.”
Beautiful. This image is so absolutely grounding that its placement could not have been any more perfect. I don't know where my desire to write comes from. But in this hallowed moment you have captured, you have strummed a bit of my heart that has always wished that that desire would have come from my dad. Instead, he tried to make me a carpenter. Seriously?
SUGGESTIONS
The piece accomplishes exactly what my expectations would have hoped for. I just got a group text from some friends. After streaming thoughts, pictures, emojis and emoticons (GIFS) over two years, it is the pattern your piece most closely reflects. The thoughts are succinct with light punctuation, and tell a story of how we have blended our lives these last two years, and at the end of the streams of hurts, pains, laughter, sarcasm, flippancy and heroics, what I have is a smile of great satisfaction that life is good and my friends all love each other to pieces. My one suggestion, love your Momma Bear till it hurts, they often don't last forever and hug that monkey-child who is so blessed to have a father who knows how to write. I'm sincerely jealous.
IN SUMMARY
"The Monkey's Ink Spill" invites the soul of the reader to explore the complexities of the poet's heart, mind and spirit. It will take the soul to understand the journey the author his on, because that is where the journey is going. And the journey is good, as long as there is inspiration - and inspiration is every where. Overcoming the limits. Fighting the fear. Loving the ones who know you best, laughing at the mysteries revealed and the joys of what our children bring to our lives. It Is All So Beautiful. Thank You! 
I hope my thoughts and impressions have been a help. Let me know if you have any questions about my review.
Kind Regards,
 ~Kenword~ 
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(101@100513)_(101x2@030614)_(100x6@031820)_____
(YCM_@122313)(01.13.23)
(Recognition 300 11.29.22)
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