Spooky

The Cosmos is fond of coincidence
And that is why we’re here.
If there’s a one in a billion chance
Of a planet bearing life
And there are billions
Upon billions
Of planets,
Then billions
And billions
Of planets
Must, statistically, bear life.

Nevertheless, I found it very peculiar
When, near midnight,
On the Fifteenth of August
2010
I logged in on YWS,
For the first time
In God knows how long,
And found I first registered
On the Fifteenth of August
2008.

Comments & reviews · 6
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User avatar
mizz-iceberg
Review

Hey Face Engine!
I think I reviewed another poem of yours just a while ago. I like this one better, though. I would like to contradict with the above reviewers. First of all, poetry does not have to rhyme, and secondly I definitely see a point to this poem. It is focused, and is nicely paced. I like how you linked the probability of life bearing planets and your log in to YWS on the same date as you signed up. The poem seems to be about chances, probability, and strange coincidences. While I agree you could have gone about linking the two separate things more gracefully, I find nothing "astounding" about you writing this poem as others may have found it to be. I don't necessarily like the use of "spooky" but I do get what you mean by it. This poem has a lot of potential, it has substance, and is very close to being a solid and meaningful poem. You just need to organize it, and perhaps link the two "incidents" together better. The theme, as I understand it is strange and 'spooky' coincidences. Unify the two things under this theme.

Good luck! (And I commend you on your tasteful and polite responses to negative reviews. I like your attitude. :) )

User avatar
originalhobbit
Comment

I thought this was really funny. I don't agree at all with the people who said it was bad.

User avatar
Face Engine
Comment

Fair points. This wasn't a serious attempt at a 'good poem' (as if bad poetry can actually exist), so I wasn't expecting much praise. This was also experimental in its own way; I never write poetry in tried and tested forms (hence the lack of rhyme).

I am disturbed, however, by your insistence on poetry needing to rhyme or 'have a point'. I am sure any prominent poet of modern times would discourage you from thinking like that, it is like saying a piece of art needs to portray 'reality' - so much for perhaps 90% of modern art. Not all poems have an actual point, and very few good modern day poets rely on rhyme. If you want to read something which is guaranteed to 'make sense', read non-surrealist prose. For me personally, poetry should primarily establish an empathic link between the writer's thought processes at the time of writing and the reader. Clearly I failed in that respect.

Even so, thank you for your critiques, and I'm sorry you didn't enjoy or understand my poem. I will bear all your points in mind in future.

Hey there,

So, I'm sorry to say that I'm going to have to agree with CardDragon. This poem didn't really seem to have a point, if it could be counted as a poem. To me, it seemed more like...I'm not sure what it seemed like, but definitely not a poem. I also couldn't really see the connection between the title, first stanza, and second stanza. Everything in it seemed randomly put together and...yeah.

So, everyone has a style of writing, but maybe this isn't yours? I'd say experiment with different types because this didn't work too well.

If you have any questions, feel free to PM me~

User avatar
CardDragon
Review

This was saying nicely, a bad poem. It didn't rhyme nor did it have an exact point.
It is not amazing how of billions of planets some can have life. I did not find the connection between
that and the last time you been on YWS. The name Spooky doesn't fit with the poem, truth to be told.
You might as well have just put this on your wall. Well next time you might want to have a good name
and a poem with a point. Sorry for being harsh, but it just astounds me how you can go on talking about life on planets, then the last time you've been on here. There is nothing "spooky " about that.
All due regards(keep on writing),
CardDragon.



Once you have read a book you care about, some part of it is always with you.
— Louis L'Amour