Jenni,

I read this poem once before and I felt it was such a strong piece. You put a lot into this, a lot of heart, a lot of soul. I think this layout is something you should continue to work with, I know you write a lot of long lined poetry but the way you structured this, the breaks and pauses; it worked well for you.

I like the opening line a lot, the term coward is powerful but I was more so interested in the way it was stating your realization of something. You never had someone for a coward but now you do. It makes the reader question why? Who is this person? Of course the 1996 title is really significant and something I appreciate in this poem. Dates and numbers are symbolic of so much.

"and your lips parted slightly"
^I love this because of its simplicity but also because we don't hear people say lips parted anymore, they over-do it but to me this is the perfect description.

I know where this poem comes from and I'm sorry that you're obviously thinking about the topic. It's something hard to deal with but I am glad you have poetry to express yourself.

Mel