I haven't written in a while -
In fact this is the longest it has been
in years, that I've stayed alive,
Without letting words paint the scene.
-
As if the alphabet hold a grudge now,
Against my unfaithful desertion to them;
I feel like I have forgotten how
To mark my skill and craft among them.
-
In recent time I have felt detached
From my own self and from all within;
For without a pen and a paper, a writer
is but a nightmare waiting to begin.
-
And so in all truth, with a heart senile,
I admit that I haven't written in a while.
-
Yet, with all due grief and all my pain,
I hope dear words take me in again.
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Hey! I love how relatable this poem can be to all writers. I'm at a point in my life where I haven't been writing either and it's so hard to pick back up again when you feel like you have lost that part of your mind that writing unlocks and unleashes. I loved "without letting words paint the scene", it made my imagination stir. Keep on writing
Thank you for replying! I'm sorry I haven't been active on here for a long time. Ironic... Your review made me very happy though.
I have been through this kind of stuff. And it's really, really weird. I just can't write the same way I used to write before, then I completely abandoned my work, then continue writing another one, scared that it'll happen again. Some of the authors call this "Writer's Block", by the why in case you didn't know that.
So for the review, I 110% loved it. I have seen another poem in which I think all of us writers could relate to. And it rhymes so plus points for that.
11/10
Thank you for sharing your thoughts! It means a lot to me. I'm sorry for such a late response. Blame it on writer's block.
Hi J1ya, backroads here to review!
This doesn't feel smooth as I read through it- I'm not really a fan of 'I've stayed alive.' I would try to find another way to express how the fact this is the longest break you've taken before- maybe something more along the lines of 'in all my years'- I would just play around with those lines a little more.I love your poem here! I can totally relate to this frustration- I had a hard time getting back into writing after taking way too long of a break.
I saw a couple things that felt like it disrupted the flow-
I'm pretty sure 'hold' should 'holds'- and 'them' at the end makes it a little confusing. Are you referring back to 'words'? The pronoun is just a little detached from he stanza.
That was all I really noticed, love what you have here- particularly the imagery of painting a scene with words.
Hope some of this was helpful!
-backroadstraveler
Hi backroadstraveler!
First of all, thanks for taking the time to read and review my poem. I'm glad you like it for the most part!
Now, about the technicalities. The first element you pointed out about the disrupted flow in
"In fact this is the longest it has been / in years, that I've stayed alive,"
was actually deliberate and inspired by a few of Thomas Hardy's works, as he does that to represent a deliberate inconsistency of thought regarding whatever issue he is writing about.
As for the 'alphabet' debate, well, I wanted to use the word 'alphabet' as a uniform address to the actual alphabets while at the same time I didn't want to generalise it as a noun because I was personifying it. So basically 'alphabet' was like a name I gave to the actual alphabets but because I was making it out to be like a being, I didn't put the 's' in.
Hope that makes sense!
Ok sounds great! I didn't understand the design behind the interruption (though I'm sure someone who knows the reference would), but it was certainty effective
Hey ¨J1ya¨! I am here to write a review!Ok I really liked you poem I thought it was beautifully written.
One quote that I really like was,
I thought that this part was just written really well, and it flowed well. I liked the rhyming in it, and I liked the way you admitted that you haven't written in a while.
In this quote I think that you should have written it to flow better. I think with putting ¨Against my unfaithful desertion to them;¨ this made the quote pretty choppy. I just think you should have written it to flow better with ¨As if the alphabet hold a grudge now,¨.
With this quote I liked it, but I also thought that you should have written it better to have the words flow more. This is the last part of the poem, and since you wrote the other parts of the poem so well. With the rhyming throughout the poem also written well. I think that you should have done the same for this part of the poem.
Your poem is great! Just keep up the good work!
Hello lexxxn,
Thank you for reviewing my poem and also finding it likable.
I understand what you mean when you say I should make it flow better, but there are mainly two reason why I didn't, or couldn't.
The first reason is that because this poem was based on coming back to writing, I wanted to show that the poet's skill had gotten a little rusty.
Secondly, I generally add an inconsistency to my poems because they are written from the point of view of people who have some sort of contradiction or a dispute with themselves in their thoughts, or who basically have too many thoughts and emotions going on for themselves that they cannot express one quite elaborately.
I will however, try to ensure that I write at least one poem in the near future that provides constancy and is cohesively polished.
Thanks for making me think on those lines.
Hello!
I love this - and I can relate so much. (Except yesterday and today I was on a writing spree! xD) You really summed up a writer's problems in a short poem, which I like. Onto the review...
I like this, but I think you should use a different word other than "them". It seems a little bit repetitive. (just a suggestion)
I'm kind of confused with these two lines - but in a really odd way, I like them. I don't like the way you used nightmare to describe them (though it is kind of correct) it may of been too harsh. Maybe you could use a different word to describe them...nightmare seemed to disrupt the smooth flow of the poem.
Other than that, I loved this!
~Snazzy, Pencil, Penicillin, etc.
Stay awesome!
Hey SnazzyPencil,
But to be honest, I feel like it kind of reinforces the whole 'I haven't written in a while so I may be lacking' effect so meh, at least the poem pulled it off. 
Of course in the future, I may not be so lucky, hence yes, point well taken.
First of all, thank you for such an exuberant review! I am glad you liked the poem in general.
About the usage of 'them,' well, can't say much because you're right.
As for the second line you quoted, yes 'nightmare' is a bit of a harsher choice in words but I did that deliberately because it's a kind of a personal opinion on this one. I personally feel really nightmarish when I haven't written for too long.
Also, the pattern of this verse was irregular, like the verse
"In fact this is the longest it has been
/in years, that I've stayed alive,"
because this style of continuing a rhyme onto the next line without actually pausing was present in Thomas Hardy's work as well as "The Last Duchess" by Robert Browning. (A GORGEOUS poem by the way, one of my ABSOLUTE favourites and by no means am I at all comparing myself to the genius of it but I definitely was inspired.)
So yes, there is that. I hope it makes sense now, thanks again for the review!
Oh, alright!
I see now - and if nightmare-ish is how you feel after not writing, then GO FOR IT! 
Thanks for the "clear-up"! 
Hey Minty here for a review!
Before I start, I wanted to say that I can relate to this so much, and I was actually wanting to write something about this same idea. You described my feeling perfectly. (thanks for describing my frusteration)
So, lets go!
My favorite line is
because it is such a beautiful way to describe the struggle to write after a long time of not. Very nicely written, and I love you word choice, like the word "unfaithful".
I honestly don't love these lines
because I feel like it is unneeded, and disrupts the flow of the poem. I would suggest removing it, or grouping it with the next quote
to make everything flow smoother.
Overall, I loved this so much, it is so relatable, but also very special to you, as the writer. Really loved you word choice, and personification
Hi mintanchor!
Thank you for the concise but to-the-point review. I'm glad you feel like I have done justice to your own thoughts too.
As for the lines you didn't like, I myself do agree that the last two stanzas stand out as aloof from the feel of the rest of the poem, but to be honest, I felt that the poem had to be wrapped up on a note that summarized the lines before, and that could be done easier in two lines. If I had carried it on for four lines each, it would be even more difficult to call it a wrap as the poem would keep getting more elaborate.
But yes, I do agree I have to make sure poems don't feel disrupted, and I will keep that in mind next time I write.
Thanks for the review once more!