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Thanks, Michael....I have incorporated your suggestion 'For weeks....'. Best, Bob

This is a lovely poem. It needs to be tidied up, but it's quite close. I would remove the first stanza. It isn't necessary, and is the weakest stanza in the poem. The other stanzas exhibit such lovely writing, requiring only some tweaks here and there. I love this last stanza, especially the last li...

I like the ambition of this poem, and especially these lines: I’m told he spoke of Festubert, Somme, Arras and Cambrai as if they were villages higher up in the valley. The poem would have more impact if it was broken up into several poems. There are too many characters to follow. I would stick with...

I love the sounds of this poem, the alliteration, the assonance. It's a lot of fun.

Thanks, Michael.

You're right. I have been amiss in commenting on others' poems. I will do better.

Thank you for your generous comments on 'Beethoven's Embrace'. Browning was a favorite of mine in college, and I still admire his work immensely.

I have read the guidelines.

Sorry, Frankly....I just didn't notice it.

Thanks, Frankly. I appreciate all poets taking the time to comment. Thx for your honest opinions.

Thanks, Michael. Your suggestion is a good one. Best, Bob

Thanks, Michael. I'm happy that you enjoyed it. I appreciate your kind comments.

My Garden Cooled Her Heels as winter lingered. I was impatient, having long ago pruned the irises when they lay exhausted, flopped over. For weeks I worried. Would she outgrow being a problem child, unable to bloom, no matter the time spent on her? Spring finally here, my garden is now like a teenag...

Thanks, Billy

Looking Back at the Night Van Gogh Shot Himself Often I'm asked about the night Van Gogh staggered into our boarding house, bent over, groaning. He had shot himself with a revolver. A telegram was sent to Theo, who arrived mid afternoon. All night he sat by his brother's side. Even now, entering a r...

"There is work in the south," you mumble. "We need the money," you argue. You could be a man denying an affair, your face that easy to read. Go! God knows we're as poor as ticks. Send money back. "Yes, yes," you promise, "I'll be back in summer" --your lies as steady as the seasons, but I let them g...

Beethoven's Embrace Ludwig stands by the sink shaving as I step through his door. He throws his arms around me, his lather soaping my left cheek. "My dear friend," he laughs, "you look better than ever." What, did I have both cheeks lathered the last time we embraced? He looks like a rag picker in s...

Good, efficient poem...I really like how a
'song blasts
shaking the roof as you leave
to begin university studies.'

As a parent, I relate to this leaving home....

Ode to Knees Their faces are scarred and wrinkled like the faces of mobsters. If anything their reckless behavior of throwing themselves like punches into someone's groin reinforces our negative image of them. They are rarely recalled fondly. At seven I threw myself over the saddle of a bike for the...

A fascinating character study....