Certain

by Rook

Published December 11, 2013

12+

In Poetry: 2013

I couldn't accept that the world rested on plates
until it cracked open
spilling molten substances into the big zero.

I couldn't accept that the sun was a star
until I started drifting away from it,
freezing my eyelids open toward heaven.

I couldn't accept the concept of hell
until my feet were singed by the lava
even as my tears turned to ice before they fell.

I couldn't accept the infinity of space
until I was shot straight into its midst,
and lost the sight of all light.

I couldn't accept that I could be truly alone
until even I didn't answer my prayers,
echoing the emptiness without, within.

I came to doubt mercy
until I met death.

Comments & reviews · 8
BethanyMarieWright wrote a review Review · Dec 11, 2013

It's pretty difficult to review a poem that is grammatically correct with fantastic spelling, an amazing topic and written so brilliantly that I'm left sitting, staring at the screen with a look of 'damn, why didn't I write this' plastered onto my face. But, I guess I should try, nevertheless.

My favourite part was very easily the third stanza of

"I couldn't accept the concept of hell
until my feet were singed by the lava
even as my tears turned to ice before they fell."

I think it's quite true how I've perceived it (maybe not exactly how it was meant). The concept of hell is a difficult one, but the way you've written it; this uncertain person, who's dead and suddenly meets this entire world they could never have believed while alive. I truly love it. Well done, keep writing.

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TheDudeMcDude
Review
TheDudeMcDude wrote a review Review · Dec 11, 2013

Hello Fortis,

I want to say, that you have written an excellent poem. I really like the emphasis that you give on the rather ignorant way people can be when it comes to accepting certain things.

The way you like to show of ignorance that a person may have towards certain aspects of life and how a person may only believe what they see, is really well presented here.

Also, the way the poem is written is quite effective. The way each line is said and followed up, like,

"I couldn't accept that the world rested on plates
until it cracked open"

really adds to the gravitas of what you're trying to say.

One last thing is the imagery of the poem, I really like the descriptions of feet being singed in lava and a tear turning to ice a nice image to the piece.

Anyway, I'd like to give this poem an 8.5/10

Keep up the awesome work.

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smile
Review
smile wrote a review Review · Dec 11, 2013

hi fortis ...so here's what i think, generaly it was one of the wonderful pieces i read before i'll

tell you why....first the expressive simple and short sentences ,cause sometimes we found

complex sentences with deficult words but its not meaningful so we don't understand what

does the writer trying to tell us... and second i liked the conclusion .......

I came to doubt mercy
until I met death.

but i guess that you should add a short beginning then you can start those expressions
" i couldn't accept "

so keep writing :)

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ErinYount
Review
ErinYount wrote a review Review · Dec 11, 2013

Hi Fortis,

Like with most of your works, I really love this one.
I cant quite point out one thing, or two, so to say, that I liked the most, probably because the whole thing was really captivating.
You're used a lot of paradoxes in forms of metaphors, in the third stanza and amazingly it has worked quite well.

The lines I absolutely loved (even though I loved the whole piece, i have a bias towards these lines) are:
"I couldn't accept that I could be truly alone
until even I didn't answer my prayers,
echoing the emptiness without, within.

I came to doubt mercy
until I met death."
They just took my breath away.

Keep writing! You are amazing at it.

-Erin

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Maximilia
Comment
Maximilia commented Comment · Dec 11, 2013

Just dropping in to say I loved this. I think this is the second poem I've read of yours yet -- I've been doubly impressed...

Out and over *static*,

Max:)

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rothwise
Review
rothwise wrote a review Review · Dec 11, 2013

I wasn't quite sure about this poem, but after finishing it, I am a big fan of it. The poem flowed smoothly, and you were consistent throughout the entire piece which is incredibly admirable. I would recommend, grammatically, going back through and adding in the appropriate punctuation.

For example, I would add a comma after "until it cracked open" and "until my feet were singed by the lava"

This is a personal preference, but for the couplet at the end of the poem, I think it would be better if it began almost in the same way the other stanzas had been starting - such as by saying:

"I came to accept doubt,
until I met death."

If you choose not to change it, that's perfectly fine, or if you want to play around with the wording I think that would be great too. I just feel like the poem would be fully concluded and wrapped up by making the couplet similar in word choice as the rest of the poem above it.

I really enjoyed reading the poem, keep writing!

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Archer
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Archer wrote a review Review · Dec 11, 2013

This struck me as a profoundly spiritual poem with the speaker being akin to a doubting Thomas. That is, just as Thomas could not accept the Resurrection until he saw Jesus with his own eyes, the speaker cannot accept the reality of her situation until she is directly forced to confront it. I think that theme is further emphasized in the last two lines, which seem to imply the ultimate salvation of the speaker.

Overall, I love the imagery you use in this poem. Your words are beautifully evocative, and there are certain lines such as "freezing my eyelids open toward heaven" that I absolutely love. I read this poem through multiple times just to appreciate the beauty of the language that you've employed.

That is not to say, of course, that there aren't areas that need improvement. For example:

spilling molten substances into the big zero.


Functionally, this line works fine, but "into the big zero" is a bit colloquial and evokes such bland imagery compared to the rest of the poem that it somewhat detracts from the rest. Instead, maybe consider changing to another synonym for space, such as "beyond" or "expanse."

Also, instead of saying "the world rested on plates," maybe say, "the land rested on plates," or "the continents rested on plates." It took me a bit to understand you were referring to tectonic plates, and while that may just be my fault, I think most readers are going to be confused as the world doesn't really rest on tectonic plates -- continents do. So the first piece of imagery that pops into one's mind is that of the world resting on a dinner plate.

In any case, those are very minor gripes for what is a beautifully written piece. Thank you for sharing.

dragonfphoenix wrote a review Review · Dec 11, 2013

Knight Dragon, here to review!

Technical:

"I couldn't accept that the world rested on plates
until it cracked open
spilling molten substances into the big zero."

I felt like these lines could have used commas on the ends of them. You used commas later on, so I'm thinking that you're not against using them. This is purely a style suggestion, though.

After reading through the rest of the poem, for consistency I'd recommend either adding commas to the end of every line except those that have periods and the last stanza. Or, you could just add commas to the middle lines so they match the other stanzas that do have commas.

On a title suggestion, you could name this "Acceptance" instead of "Certain," because that would echo the recurring word of the poem.

Hope this helps!



i like that the title of dr jekyll and mr hyde makes a clear stance that the embodiment of one’s own evil doesn’t get a claim to the doctorate
— waywardxwallflower