Comments : Castle in the Air

  • 12 years ago

    by Xanthe

    Castles in the air.. an idiom for dreams or plans or hopes that have very little or no chances of happening. I honestly was quite skeptical when I read the title. I thought this would be burdened with fairytale-like imagery and language. But I'm glad I read this.

    Okay, critique. I'll see what I can do.

    "Each day the delineation of a sultan tailgates
    her; is a prince what she was supposed to
    succeed in?"

    I love reading your poems, MaryAnne. It's filled with crisp language and it makes me think.
    'Delineation' is such a beautiful word, it's more specific than 'drawing', it emphasises that this drawing is quite crude or perhaps unfinished. I like how you did not repeat 'sultan' and used 'prince' instead.
    'Tailgates' means driving too close. I think you mean disturbs here or something in that line. A drawing of a prince disturbs her and she thinks about her future perhaps. This is making me think. lovely.

    "You can't say that girl has found her sound
    systems
    of happiness yet- not even when a callow
    throat
    goes under trial, to keep breathing."

    I like 'sound systems' as it is unexpected and it adds a sort of modern atmosphere to this piece.

    "she isn't a clothes hanger to suffocate nor a drawer
    to keep closed up."

    I don't know how you could suffocate a clothes hanger..
    I'm also unsure of 'closed up'. Perhaps 'locked up'?

    "She needs to be unsealed,
    told that black doesn't suit her, never did,
    not even
    when she was so visible in it's pouring rain
    effect."

    I like this. Black can be a metaphor for a lot of things; things that burden, overshadow..
    Not sure about 'rain effect'. I think you could remove effect? Or I'm too ignorant lol.

    "You're this kind of girl- choosing life
    because it screams
    BELLOWS out courage, letting pain leave
    marks in puddles
    you don't cleanse yourself with anymore."

    A comma after 'screams'?

    "The desire to live is knowing love is not
    below you or
    circling an inch from your veins, it's in you."

    I like this. Nothing to comment critically but perhaps play with the format a bit here? I think it could have a greater impact because of how you worded this.

    "And you have a place in that castle, in the
    air
    borne especially for backbone,
    a stoutheartedness to prevail from
    memories
    spent too many times rounding stars 'neath
    alabastrine stones."

    Quite uncertain about 'stoutheartedness' as it stands out too much. I like alabastrine though and the echo of the title here.

    "You are the one who leads, the one who can
    either kiss the stones at your feet, or spread
    them
    far and wide, knowing they may have shaped
    you

    but they didn't interpret you."

    This is one of my favorite stanzas in the poem. Just a thought: the first line can be shortened and just might be stronger if lessened.
    "You lead those who can.."
    But just a suggestion.

    "Only you, can catch faith and be the sun-
    burned
    girl who takes strides and never lets her skin
    be ready for

    untruth."

    I don't think you need the comma after 'you'. Perhaps you could just add a line break instead?
    Beautiful ending though.

    I read this piece thinking the whole time the persona (you) were speaking, or rather, reassuring yourself. It has that peaceful, and calm yet firm tone. It's beautiful. Keep writing. Was a pleasure reading this :)

    • 12 years ago

      by Poet on the Piano

      Thanks so much Xanthe! I just saw this and was about to praise it but Noura already did, thank goodness :) Made a few edits like you said, took out the comma at the end and changed one line to "You lead those who can"....Still reworking some parts, thank you hugely for the critique XD

  • 12 years ago

    by The Poet Behind The Poems

    This made me think all the wat through to me it seemed a lot deeper then the surface words I loved the tittle drew me in ... I'm not one for long poems but I would stop reading it was so beautiful

    The desire to live is knowing love is not below you

    This really stood out to me ...

    I think this was a stunning piece 5/5