Young Writers Society

So, I just found this after reviewing your most recent poem (Summer Gin), and I wasn't going to leave another review right away, because I don't want to seem like I'm creeping, but I just had to, because (wow, long sentence)... Whoa. This is amazing. I've never seen a poem like this, that can be read in reverse. I have to admit, when I read through it from top to bottom, I didn't relate at all. I've got a lot of self-esteem issues, so, on first reading, I thought, "Gee it would be great to feel this way about myself." It was when I read it again, in both directions, that the meaning you were trying to convey clicked. I think you've managed to capture the complicated differences in the way we see ourselves and the way we portray ourselves to others. I don't know if that makes any sense, but I'm not sure how else to explain myself. It's just great, and so incredibly relatable.

-floatingvoice

Hey Maverick.

Wow, I didn't expect that. Neat.

Besides the superior formatting of the poem (since I see you already have several comments on that), onto the review.

I think this poem really speaks to all of the people—I was going to end that sentence, but it's already over. but seriously, both high and low self-esteem, everybody who reads this has gotta feel something about their self.

Loved the last line.

The only thing I think could be fixed is the separated lines that say,
"Performed so flawlessly as
It is my talent, and.."
For some reason, this doesn't flow for me. But that's all the criticism I have.

Welcome to YWS! Jesus. Where did you come from?

Haha yours,

Sav

This is great. It's very well written. The emotion is very prominent. I just have one question. What is your inspiration? If you do not wish to speak, i understand.

This is a-frickin'-mazing. I love the overpowering sense of self-confidence. This poem is all about remaining true to yourself and ignoring people who notice your flaws. The speaker is basically saying that he/she deserves to be paid attention to.
The only thing I don't like about this is the fact that this poem doesn't rhyme. But the language and the theme of the poem definitely makes up for that.

Pardon my language as I have a colorful mouth but...Holy F***ing S**t this is awesome. Your amazing!!! <3 ^o^ it's so awesome!!! I Love it!

Reverse poetry Oh, I love it soooo much!

Hey there, Maverick!

*jaw drops*
Whoa.
Okay.
So.
*clears throat* So you wrote this awesome poem and it's perfect and that's about all I can say.

Wonderful job. I love flippable poems. This is definitely the best I've ever read. It had a nice, smooth flow both ways and a deep, personal, relatable message. That was really cool, how you managed to write it so it didn't sound awkward either way. That's not easy to do. I've tried it before, and you're definitely better than me. I'm impressed.
Really great job here, well done! I love this poem!

Keep it up,
IAmMe

This was really good! It was different to me, but I like different. This poem put a touch to my heart. I liked all of it so I can't pull out my favorite parts. This is one of the best poems I have ever read in my life! It's so good.

First off. I didn't see any major mistakes, or any nitpicks, but if their are nitpicks you can find them yourself cause you are very smart. Don't take that the wrong way...

Cant wait to read what other things u write that are good

*creeps in* I just wanted to say that I thought this was awesome and that you are brilliant *creeps away*

WOAH.

haha, maybe I just haven't read enough poetry, but I feel like this is the first time I've read a flipped poem that actually worked well and none of the sentences seemed weird from being flipped. Did you study clues or hints about the structure and how to build your sentences before writing this? Or did you just muck through it on your own?

One thing I think you might work on is the punctuation. It works pretty well when you read it through forward, but makes reading backward awkward and breaks it up incorrectly. In order to help readers get the idea of reading it backward, you could take out these roadblocks and get them thinking more fluidly from the get go? Think about what might happen if you removed capitalization as well. It would get the lines working as their own individual pieces and make them feel more slender, less heavy and set, like we can play with them and move them around (the way you'll want us to near the end).

Is there a way that you can hint at the secret of the poem without leaving an author's note? Maybe you could use little up-arrow icons at the last line as a sign-post? You had a good start by italicizing "flip", but I'm not sure it's enough.

Anyway, conquering this form with a poem that makes sense is awesome. It's not one that really hits me down deep, because there's not a lot of emotional connection -- it's all common words that we've heard before, but I think the surprise twist will please a lot of readers. Have you considered what the twist means? Does it mean that when we read people's words back toward them, we find they are backward and people are a lot less confident than they appear? I wonder.

I hope these thoughts and suggestions are helpful to you.

PM me or reply to the review if you have any questions~
Good luck and keep writing!

Hannah

A/N: If it wasn't clear, please read from bottom to top when you are finished. Let it be known poetry is not my forté.