Lessons I've Learned

I know some of my poems are the same. Obviously I did this so I could reach 10,000 words. Once i have new poems I'll replace the duplicates. I don't understand the rest of your comment.

I had promised myself I wouldn't read any more INcompletes, however I was curious about a book of poems with 400+ comments.... I have a tendency to sit for hours upon hours reading one book at a time, so I guess I notice things that people who read only a few pages at a time don't notice. You should edit this work and take out the duplicated pages, it became irritating after two: your chapter 22 is chapter 2, chapter 34 is chapter 1, chapter 38 and 39 are the same, as are chapters 51, 43, and 42, and chapter 47 is also chapter 45. This is how I read them. Once that is done, do yourself a favor and cherry pick your best comments and my comment will drop down quite quickly.

You have a few very good poems in this collection of thoughts and opinions. Is there artwork to accompany the finished project?

I am so in love with your book right now. I love poetry and have read a few stuff here and there and am glad to say this is really good. I will definately read all of them.

I love "Wounded soldier"
I understand how writing is therapeutic, your poems are easy to understand, yet say a lot in a few words.
Christine May
"Five short stories with a twist"

(Okay, you have a gazillion comments, so it almost seems silly to add my own, so here goes!)

This is an interesting collection. Some have the feel of shattered glass, in that I can see the results of an unspoken event; while others are like a quiet day in late October when the leaves fall on their own. I had to stop at 10 for lack of time, and up to that point you seem to have a thread of God’s past and future faithfulness. Each of these are poignant (if not painful), but in each of them there is strength and hope.

My favorite: “Don’t Block my Testimony” – strong. With a few precise words, you expressed what that’s like.

Hana Bathir
Sea of Jasmine

Suggest you keep on trying.
BK

Lisa,

I found your poems to be thought provoking and insightful. I was moved by your poem about a friends death. I related well to what your child has taught you. I look forward to reading more of your poems. I know your poems will do well because they are real...my favorite kind of poems.

I have not posted my book yet but I would like you to encourage you to view the book of a friend of mine. It is called "Whisper In The Wind." It is written by Bridget Sherman. She writes in a similar style to yours.

The first "book" I read since joining... and it was a wonderful welcome! Thanks for writing from the heart (is there any other way?!!?) Enjoyed the few I read and look forward to reading more.

I feel like I've just been on a journey through your life.
There's a lot of sadness, yet strengh of spirit shows through.
There's a passion and a pride connected to a child and your religion.
It seems you have been hurt but have weathered the storms in your life.
And there is a love for your fellow man, a dedication to help others.
Poetry is very revealing and yours are filled with emotion.
I would say the comment about accompying art is a very good idea.
I could imagine this book as a gift like present. This kind of poetry book is quite popular.
If you don't do artwork yourself, you could collaborate with someone.
It would make for a beautiful keepsake book.

Hi Tralisa,

I am sorry it took me so long to read your work. I’ve been bogged down with outside activities all while trying to keep up with the promised reads on my list. Because this is poetry, I will only give you my thoughts as I go along, seeing as it doesn’t need to be grammatically correct in all cases.

*Not in all cases, but in some - I found the punctuation distracting at the end of each line, I felt like it disrupted the cadence of each poem. I’m not saying take it out, just think about how you want it to sound or if you want it to be left up to the interpretation of the reader. Like if a thought is continued on the line below, a comma may be a better choice of punctuation.

Ch6: [Sh] send me to… ? *is this a ‘shush’ or a misspelling? If it’s a ‘shush’ perhaps a second ‘h’ or a comma after it would help.

Ch8: “Fully clothed in bare naked truth.” *Love this line.

*You have a very nice pace to most of the poems, but then one or two lines will be thrown in that throw it off and shake me from the easy flow of reading. Sometimes it’s a line that’s just a bit too long, other times it’s the way something is phrased, for example: Ch13: I like the whole thing until the very last line. No problem with what it says, just the tempo of it.

Ch19: *This one is very nice. I like it the best so far. Very touching.

Ch25: …don’t[’] call me again.

Ch26: *I like this one very much. I am a hopeless romantic and it reminds me how we have to feel heartbreak before we find true love.

Ch38: Ifeel hurt – missing a space.

Ch42: …you are gripping (griping?) about such and such…

* I wonder if some of the free verse poems that are in full paragraph form would be easier to split up into separate lines like the rhyming ones.

Ch55: *some of these lines could be split into two so each line is its own thought.

Ch76: *another of my favorites.

*You’ve done an excellent job of expressing your feelings in words and make it relatable to the reader. Though we all hope to find that “one true soul mate,” I like to think that there are lots of perfect soul mates out there for us, it just depends on which path we take to find one.

Thank you for sharing.

Sincerely,
Wendy
Breakaway

I love your chapter 10, or the poem Remnants. I don't have the first clue how to give back comments on poems, they are so personal that it is really almost insulting to suggest changes to anything other than grammar(which looked good to me). Only you know best the wording to express your emotions. Thank you for writing this heartfelt piece, it really resonated with me. I look forward to reading more at a later date. Best of luck with it!

Ashley
'Maddy Hatfield and the Magic Locket'

If by not understanding you are referring to the cherry pick comment, please read the entire FAQ section from the LEARN MORE link on the home page to understand how to promote your submission on this site. It states:

"If an author takes the time to upload their book to authonomy, they’ll also want some kind of control over the comments that appear beneath it. We don’t believe writers should be able to delete comments – all authors should be prepared to receive fair and frank feedback on their work – but by using the ‘cherry pick’ function authors can select which comments appear most prominently.

"By clicking the cherry icon to the right hand side of each comment, authors can select up to five messages to appear directly under their book or text. Think of these like the supportive quotes printed on the front or back of published books – they should reflect the most supportive feedback received.

"Authors can deselect their cherry picked comments by clicking again on the appropriate cherry icon."

This is a very useful tool for an author who desires to have the best comments read first, forcing my comment further down the page into oblivion.

I asked about artwork because, while it can not be featured on this site, it could be of great help to your words in a finished project. While there is little that can be done in the submissions on this site, text is not all visual and selective art can carry emotion that words only hint toward. Simple knowledge of the existence of accompanying visuals could influence my opinion of this submission. It is all subject as to content.

If there was there something else that was not understood, ask and I will come back and try to explain.

I know some of my poems are the same. Obviously I did this so I could reach 10,000 words. Once i have new poems I'll replace the duplicates. I don't understand the rest of your comment.

I had promised myself I wouldn't read any more INcompletes, however I was curious about a book of poems with 400+ comments.... I have a tendency to sit for hours upon hours reading one book at a time, so I guess I notice things that people who read only a few pages at a time don't notice. You should edit this work and take out the duplicated pages, it became irritating after two: your chapter 22 is chapter 2, chapter 34 is chapter 1, chapter 38 and 39 are the same, as are chapters 51, 43, and 42, and chapter 47 is also chapter 45. This is how I read them. Once that is done, do yourself a favor and cherry pick your best comments and my comment will drop down quite quickly.

You have a few very good poems in this collection of thoughts and opinions. Is there artwork to accompany the finished project?

I had promised myself I wouldn't read any more INcompletes, however I was curious about a book of poems with 400+ comments.... I have a tendency to sit for hours upon hours reading one book at a time, so I guess I notice things that people who read only a few pages at a time don't notice. You should edit this work and take out the duplicated pages, it became irritating after two: your chapter 22 is chapter 2, chapter 34 is chapter 1, chapter 38 and 39 are the same, as are chapters 51, 43, and 42, and chapter 47 is also chapter 45. This is how I read them. Once that is done, do yourself a favor and cherry pick your best comments and my comment will drop down quite quickly.

You have a few very good poems in this collection of thoughts and opinions. Is there artwork to accompany the finished project?

Loved the "What a Revelation." This will resonate with anyone who practices yoga, meditates, etc. You do a great job illustrating the influence of meditation in the midst of chaos. I'll continue to read your poems and insights later. Keep up the great work. You are going on my watch list. I am also looking for critiques/comments for my book "Maddy Hatfield and the Magic Locket." Any feedback would be appreciated! Best of luck to you!

Ashley

Your poems are lovely, your talent palpable. I'll be backing soon.

Here are poems that come straight from the heart. They have a great deal of depth to them. They should be read and reread in order to grasp everything they have to relate. The author exhibits a very sincere approach to
all she has written. The poems are definitely a labor of love. I hope that everyone who reads them will see the care, compassion, and understanding I have seen that went into bringing them to life.

Lisa. I have read the first ten chapters. I didn't so much relate to the ones about children as I do not have any by choice. I found your writing very beautidl and moving with such evocative imagery. I think my favourite two are Remnants and Letter to a Dying friend which made me cry .

I will watchlist you and give you 6 stars as I think you have a good talent. I used to write poetry but I haven't done so for years.

The best of luck with it!

Chapters 31 - 35 accidently deleted and think this should be here as I edited (I make errors)
Chapter 31 Extremely thought provoking. Am I glad or sad or upset or etc that I discovered it was only my imagination.
Chapter 32 I read this one several times trying to find the message that is to be spread. Somehow I still am missing it.
Chapter 33 A wonderful praise to your Father and Savior.
Chapter 34 This sounds familiar. Did you write it before? Is it from someone else? (sorry should have asked if this was so who it was) This is beautiful and sounds so familiar-thats all
Chapter 35 Oh the sadness of losing one's love for another. Thought provoking. Especially to look into ones own relationship and make sure this despair doesn't occur, or discover this dispair is shared.
Dennise
Summer Vacation

My writing is written by me otherwise it would not be posted with my name as the author. Your continuos negative feedback is an attack on my character and not constructive criticism. Please do not attempt to use me to increase your ranking. I would appreciate if you don't post any other comments on my page. Thank you!

Chapters 31 - 35
Chapter 31 Extremely thought provoking. Am I glad or sad or upset or etc that I discovered it was only my imagination.
Chapter 32 I read this one several times trying to find the message that is to be spread. Somehow I still am missing it.
Chapter 33 A wonderful praise to your Father and Savior.
Chapter 34 This sounds familiar. Did you write it before? Is it from someone else?
Chapter 35 Oh the sadness of losing one's love for another. Thought provoking. Especially to look into ones own relationship and make sure this despair doesn't occur, or discover this dispair is shared.
Dennise
Summer Vacation

Chapters 21 - 30
Chapter 21 Very emotional and thought provoking. (I'm not sure if there should be a comma or semi-colon between earth and land second sentence.
Chapter 22 1st line. I recommend a period or a comma between me and I'm. I recommend working on the rhythm. I really like the message, but found it a difficult read. Even reading slowly, as this piece should be read, the rhythm and flow just wouldn't move smoothly
Chapter 24 This one was a difficult read. The word 'love' was used too often and the explainations seemed to be incongruent. I didn't find an easy flow to this read.
Chapter 25 There's so much here and yet I feel lost.
Chapter 26 I'm not sure why the shame unless this person that is wanted belongs to someone else. Easily something one would jaunt down when drooling over someone they have a crush.
Chapter 27 Enjoyed your revelation. Could use some punctuation as some sentences are too long.
Chapter 28 Never thought of missing promptings as selective hearing, but you certainly are correct. Could use some punctuation as some sentences are too long.
Chapter 29 Great praises. Consider some punctuation as some sentences are too long.
Chapter 30 Did you mean 'bought' instead of brought? I so sorry love showed up uninvited and at inopportune times.
Dennise
Summer Vacation

Chapters 11 – 20
Chapter 11 All caps is difficult to read and ususally means yelling. I didn’t feel like you were venting with this particular entry, therefore I recommend removing the all caps. I really liked this ones particular philosophy. A couple of recommendations: I’m really thinking a comma needs to be here ‘situation, each’ and Since you used periods throughout the piece, I recommend a period after destiny.
Chapter 12 Same about the all caps. To keep the flow with the 5th and 6th lines, I really think you should remove ‘to me’ I also recommend removing the ‘so’ in the 6th line. The rhyme of the 7th and 8th lines do not feel near enough for me to let you forget the rule that near rhymes are really not recommended. I recommend reconstructing. The 9th line changed the rhythm and did a good job of transitioning to the anger you felt. Unfortunately after the anger, the rhythm didn’t match the feelings expressed and then everything went back to a bit of anger, but the rhythm didn’t agree. Actually, it was kind of lost. I recommend reworking.
Chapter 13 There are several areas that flow and rhythm need work. (one example are the 13th and 14th lines) The first four lines leave me confused as to who this is about. Sounds almost about oneself, then the heart and mind confuse who truly is about to join death’s march.
Chapter 14 Well put.
Chapter 15 Sorry this one didn’t do anything for me nor was I able to see any concerns. No comment.
Chapter 16 Third sentence I think you meant ‘tremor’ not trimmer. Thank you for your reminder.
Chapter 17 I’ve always been taught ‘thinking is the same as doing’ and coveting another’s wife is against one of the Ten Commandments. And expecting other to hold one accountable is a poor excuse for sinning. That aside, I really like the can of worms this piece opens.
Chapter 18 What a testament to repentance. I recommend a couple of commas: Sh, I say, be still my heart, this cross…
Chapter 19 The first two and last two lines have the same rhythm and flow. Those in the middle are slightly different. I do not know enough about poetry to say you are wrong, but I know enough about writing to say I like it and do not recommend any changes.You may want to consider a comma run, but
Chapter 20 Nice!
Sorry I’ve been busy with so little reading time
Dennise
Summer Vacation

I will comment on what I've read thus far and will come back for more soon. I never really studied poetry, so I cannot comment on structure or rhythm, but I do find your arrangement of words to be sometimes powerful, sometimes pleasant, sometimes both. Although love is a nice universal theme, I enjoyed one dealing with death the most. I believe that was chapter 5. I found it to be utterly beautiful, and that strong last line--hm, hm, hm.
Remnants of a distant past remind us nothing is meant to last. Again, I ask, am I just drawn to melancholy? perhaps, but I think you're a real artist with lyrical blues.
Happy to cast a handful of stars at this for now.
I'm interested to read more.
Best,
John B Campbell

Wonderful. everything just flows togeather and not a lot at all was choppy. Sometimes poetry can stray slightly from the main point just to rhyme, but not with these poems.

Chapter 6-10 This section was a bit of a difficult read after the first 5. Flow and rhythm were lost in some of the pieces. They seemed more like journal entries or just thoughts. (Nothing wrong with that, but, I feel, disjointed enough to cause a reader to put the book down)
Chapter 6 I agree with your comment about stifling a voice. Not sure if this is an error, 4th sentence, 'Sh send'. Filled out, this could be alone in as a separate book. I love your last line. (needs a period after grace.) You might also consider this as a statement placed where the forward would go. (? not sure)
Chapter 7 You might want to consider as part of the dedication page or consider the non-poem pieces as a journal.
Chapter 8 This one I really like. Flows, rythmic and, to the best of my understanding, works well as prose. I recommend a comma 'butcher's knives, sleepless nights'
Chapter 9 Another nice one. I recommend reworking the following, it stopped the flow 'I remember when mom called, it seemed like yesterday. When she said that you had gone away.'
Chapter 10 I enjoyed this one too. This one, needs work for consistent flow in a few areas. You broke up your main repeat, I'm not sure if that was intentional. For consistency, I'd bring the 4th line up after the 3rd line, but that is not required. You're the author and this is your piece. With some corrections, I still think this will be a recommendable read.

Dennise
Summer Vacation

Hi there,

Like the comment below, Love Me Sane is far from my genre, so I didn't feel as though I could comment, but poetry is a big thing for me so I was intrigued by this. I really like all of your POEMS - they're interesting and quite emotional and would make excellent quotes, but if you played around with some of the structure they could be even better. Your first poem and Remnants work well with the regular rhyme scheme, but there are some that seem a little cliche with the rhyming couplets. Something like free verse might suit your quite emotive and philosophical ideas - try Carol Ann Duffy or going back even further, look at Wordsworth. With regards to the other excerpts that aren't poems, I also enjoyed skimming through some of those. It's like reading a more sophisticated journal or blog, but I think they should be kept separate from the poetry collection. They could be a whole book of thoughts in themselves! If this is what you're passionate about then go for it, but I would avoid making too strong judgements about religion and such in some of your poems, because they're shorter pieces and are generally void of an explanation which is what full novels tend to do - they back up whatever the author writes, I feel. It's all very readable but it just feels a bit bundled together. With some organisation and some variation in the types of poems you're righting it could be a really great read.

All the best,
Alex
F.M.F.

Chapters 1-5 No reason to stop here except that 5 was very emotional and leaves me contemplating. Each poem is different. Each hits thoughts and emotions at different levels. I can not comment from a editing-publishing angle, but I can from that of a reader. So far, this would be a book I would recommend.

Dennise
Summer Vacation

Love me Sane is not in a genre that appeals to me, so I feel I can`t comment. With your poetry book, I picked them at random. Some I liked , some I didn`t. From what I understand, poetry is harder to sell. I think you could sell some of them, individually to greeting card companies.
GILLIAN M.H.

I love poetry Lisa. Your poetry is is as well written as your book is because it is written from the heart.
Poetry is a good way to release emotions and this is what you have done here. Its not like the poetry you often read which is often over written with complicated words and so its very difficult to understand. Yours is simple not complex and it moves the heart and inspires the reader. Many poetry writers force their words to rhyme but you haven't and I like this.
Overall I enjoyed all of your poems - and a few in particular stood out.
I give you 6 stars. Your backed.
Ruby Middleton (Will Ryan)

You are quite good at expressing emotions, Reading the first chapter I could feel that there was actual emotion filled up behind the words. So good job on that. Throwing these type emotions into characters in a plot would do wonders.
Also find that often your message is a good one, which Is quite important as as a poetic writer you are there to inspire, and the best are inspiring one to smile.
Keep it up and see you at the top.

As a lover, reader and writer of poetry I truly enjoyed yours. My daughter has managed to have some of her works published and I pray you do too, they are worthy of publication and others eyes and souls. Denise

Your poems are very well written. To me a good goal for a poem is to strike up curiosity in the mind of the reader, and perhaps have them identify with the feelings expressed. You do a good job of that, and enjoyed what I have read so far.
I must admit, though, that at first I began to get the feeling that all of the poems would the same rhyming scheme. I was pleasantly surprised, however, to see that you do indeed apply a wide variety of styles. Excellent job.

Caleb

Your poetry is very soulful and reveals a fragile, but loving heart. Because you write from the heart instead of trying to create literary poetry, your writing intimately connects you with many of your readers.

Thank you for sharing your life with the world, and may your readers and those close to you guard your feelings with care.

God's richest blessings to you and keep writing. Poetry can be a tough genre, but you certainly have the gift.

James

I like how you write within your poetry it is beautiful but simple and yet very complex. Keep up your spirit and keep writing. I would like to keep reading a new chapter every day like I have so far.

I'm no expert on poetry, but I've read many, and yours were really amazing.
I hope you continue to write and you should definitely be published.
Good luck.
~Dania

I think your poems are beautiful. I hope by writing them they help you to find your way through this crazy world we live in, and cope with the past.

"Chapter 50" response - - Interesting. The point at the end hit home.

- Scott

"Love" response - - Too True! I think they should change the definition of "Love" in the dictionary to this.

- Scott, Eden Legacy

"If I Could" response - - You are such a passionate poet, atleast from what I've read so far. I loved the line "Draw pictures and skyscrapers in the sand"

- Scott, Eden Legacy

"Can You" response - - This is a well written and beautiful poem. You make the reader think when they read but also keep things flowing and enjoyable. I've got to tell you how excited I am that you have poetry posted here. I write myself and loved this first poem. I'll read some more and comment on them too. Thanks for posting these.

- Scott, Eden Legacy

Lisa, this is an awesome book, I've been reading it here and there. Very well written. I love these kinds of books. I will also look at your other book as well. In the meantime, I'll stick this one my WL till I have room for it on my shelf. If you don't mind, taking a look at my book, I'm looking for feedback as I continue to write- back it if you like.

-JD

Youre an old fashioned Romantic :) and thats a good thing..

Some of the imagery in ( If I could ) reminded me of an old Police song," I burn for you" about a guy who lies with his wife/gf in the dark cool evening, and has her there 100% but still burns for more..

Thank you for sharing such personal thoughts and feelings here. You're brave.
Some very good work here.
Fr. Ambrose

I love that you're brave enough to put poetry out there - vulnerable stuff! I feel, though, like you're style is still maturing. I've read the first ten or so, and while I think you've got some great ideas, I wonder if a little more time and polish would crystalize them a bit more. Still, with poetry in particular, it's all a matter of aethestic preference and hard to pin point exactly what puts me on edge a bit. My overall impression is "close but not quite." A lot of potential but I'm not sure these poems are "there" yet, if you know what I mean.

i've only clicked on a few numbers randomly, but i'm really enjoying what i've come across so far .. you are a refreshing read!

Hi Tralisa. Thank you for the invitation to read and review your books. I've finished reading this one completely, so here goes.

Poetry has completely evolved from what it used to be. Free verse is now popular, which is great! However, the simple AABBCC is still popular in amateur writing. That being said, I appreciate your poems. They were real, and intimate, and I feel as though I'm actually part of your life which is good for a reader to feel, especially when reading poetry. On the other hand, some were a bit too revealing. The beauty of poetry is that you don't have to lay it all out on the line as it is. You don't have to use personal names. You can let imagery tell the story. Let the metaphors flow to describe your feelings. And let's face it, sometimes there just isn't a word for that feeling you get looking into your child's smiling face. I believe that if you try to maybe move away from the safety of the AABBCC, you'll allow yourself more freedom in how you express yourself. Even if you just look up other rhyme patterns and just let the words flow, you'll find you can do so much more, and draw in potentially a more professional and insightful audience, especially since you've said that you wish for your work to be published.

Your poem 'Remnants', although it still had the AABBCC pattern, was actually quite good. It was different from the majority of your other poems with a quick pace and unstructured line length and beat which is what shows your creativity.

I definitely noticed that your writing style utilizes repetition, which is predominant in poetry and effective especially within oral poetry. Am I a fan of it? Personally, not really. You use it quite a bit, which made it seem over used, along with the rhyme pattern, but looking at each poem separately, it worked. Looking at it as a book which you're interested in publishing, it's probably not the best way to go, from a reader's perspective. Going along with that, I also noticed that a lot of your chapters repeat which is probably just an uploading confusion. You had a few poems posted in separate chapters, so you may want to go back through and delete repeats.

The last poem 'Our Song' is quite pretty. It's short, and nice. It's reminisent of a haiku which is really an underused poetry style.

Now for the free verse. (Sorry this is a long review.)

'Don’t Block my testimony' was rather good. It was to the point and you spoke your peace.

'Moments of strength' was actually something I really enjoyed. This showed the imagery, and the use of words that your poems should show, but don't. When you write 'fully clothed in bare naked truth’ it paints such a wonderful picture. Complimenting opposites are wonderful, at least to me. It's deep, and shows your creativity. Let things like that flow, because that shows who you are better than anything else.

Not going to lie here: the cap locks – unprofessional, and really not attractive to a reader. Sometimes, sure. A line or two in caps locks can make something stand out or even just important words, but not a complete free verse. It makes it sound more like a rant than sharing creativity.

A lot of the free verse, as with the poems, are extremely personal which for some of the poems is acceptable, but making mention of actual names and situations is possibly not appropriate for this media. For instance, chapter 37, while I’m also a Christian, I feel sounds almost as a rant and just a random outburst which isn't what a lot of people want to read. Although I agree that if non-believers read it and don't like, it's their right not to like it, and it's your right to believe it, but you have to remember that you're writing something for an open audience. You don't want to write something that says "I'm so frustrated with non-believers and with churches that don't actually teach! Argh!" because it sounds simply like something you can read in the Opinion section of the local newspaper.

Chapter 48 describes becoming born again, which was relevant to me, as a born again Christian myself, but perhaps it could have been shared differently, which it was in chapter 57 “my role as a Christian.” This was well done and I think says clearly what Christians need to say to non-believers. I’m glad you make mention that as Christians, we don’t try to change people. That’s God’s job. But we can share how God has changed us. But then something like ‘For Real’ is written and completely goes against what you’ve written previously. Consistency is needed, even if you're sharing emotions which are ultimately conflicting.

Over all: I appreciated this immensely. I think that a lot of it needs to be edited and reviewed on your part to make it flow a bit better. If you have conflicting emotions and you want to share that, then you're human which is great! But if you want to express that to the reader, don't rant about it. You can still let your creativity flow smoothly even though your emotions may not be as smooth. Being personal and intimate with a reader isn't just about laying it all out there, telling them everything about you. Sometimes it's saying things like 'fully clothed in bare naked truth' that brings readers in closer. Explore different structures for poems, different rhyme patterns, and I think you'll find a bit more freedom.

- Nichole

i like the audience involvement in this, a nice personal touch

This was a very enjoyable read. As the baby is down for a nap and it is raining here I was able to absorb your beautiful poetry. Please continue to write, you are a blessing to your readers.
Kelly

Overall, these are all nice. When you write some in block freeverse form, I am somewhat confused by it. There's no real rhythm (and I know it's freeverse but even in that there could be some manipulation to give the reader some form to chaos).

Then for example, Lessons I've Learned is all in caps. Is there a reason for this? It doesn't feel like there is, so it's more distracting than anything for me.

In your other poetry I've read that involves rhyme scheme, the structure is very repetitive. Each poem is AABBCC, etc., each line is short and stands alone really. I would love to see more variation in your rhyming work, other forms of rhyme (and ranted I'm only about 1/3 through of it, but if you do have variations in form, it should be mixed up throughout). I understand the sentiment of the heart that births these poems. I think expanding more the way in which you express your heart will make for a much more dynamic collection as a whole. I enjoy your message, and the soul behind it, but the execution would be more compelling with more variation.

Have a peaceful day and evening :)

I Love it!!! There is a great diversity in the poems from simple and conventionally structured to elaborate and intricately structured. The message is strong and intense yet it requires efforts to break through the subtlety and discover the essence of what these poems try to convey. Great Masterpiece.

I know nothing about poetry. I do read some occasionally and I've read these and think they are pleasant enough and well enough put together, but they are not particularly moving or interesting to me. A good friend gave me Kahlil Gibran and Cavafy and I regret to say neither affected me any more. Sorry for my limitations.

I am no critic, nor am I am poet.
These poems are great, I am sure you must know it.
Seriously, really flow. I should have commented before, as I read you a while ago.