Writhing

Hello! herbgirl here for a review!
I like this poem, as I like all your poems. You use impressive imagery, which is what always pulls me in, I especially liked the part about how you have "twisting living writhing vines" growing out of your heart. The repetition of the word "writhing" really helped with this imagery, and it was a fitting title.
I do have a few things that I would like to point out, though. First, I like how you experimented with some non-traditional formatting here! I think it had a pretty good effect on the poem, it really added to it, it helped put emphasis on certain words which helped bring life to the poem. However, I don't think the bolded words are necessary. It's up to you, but I think that the bold interrupts the poem, it puts almost TOO much emphasis on the words that are bold. I think instead of having them bold, you could space them out differently, maybe move them to their own line, or move them further out in the lines they are in.
Another note in the formatting I had was about those little squiggly things between the stanzas that probably have a name but I don't know what it is. I don't think they're necessary. They add another pause to your poem that I think is perhaps too long, and that a blank space might have sufficed.
Now, my final thing on formatting was about the last line. I don't really like how you formatted the word "writhing" there. It seemed to me like it was just moving in one direction. Generally when I think of something writhing I think of it moving in a sort of more violent vibrating pattern, and I don't think you achieved that there. Maybe have the word move in more of a wave, so as to give that writhing feel I described.
Anyways, good job! I really enjoyed reading this work, as I do all your poems, so keep up the good work!

Good morning, Kazey!

So, I'm not the best at reviewing poetry, but I will attempt my hand at this. I do apologize if this is a terrible review :/

Anyway, let's dive right in.

I have to say, in the beginning I thought this was "Writing" instead of "Writhing". I had to delete the first part of my review because I was talking about a subject that doesn't pertain to this at all.

Your first stanza is alright, although the simile you used is a little weak. It's hard to envision branches growing since- well, it's just something that we don't see. It happens in such a long time that it loses a lot of potential.

Your second simile is better, although not great either. You personified branches growing from the tree itself because they don't want to be associated with it. This kind of personification forces a lot of different emotions onto both the branches and the tree (and the first thing I imagine is like a stereotypical high school clique, which just throws me out of the simile here) I don't really understand why behemoth is bolded; it doesn't add anything to the poem for me. I understand that it's an artistic choice, but it's a choice that I just don't get. I don't know, maybe it's over my head.

I do like the shape you gave to your fourth stanza here. I mean, it's simple in the execution, but I can get that it's a vine. I like it here.

So, I don't really understand the allusion of the heart being akin to a tree and branches. What's exactly writhing out of your heart? What is separating itself from the mammoth of a heart? The first half of your fifth stanza is a little weak, but the second half makes up for it. I think, with a little re-wording, your fifth stanza can be the best part of this poem.

Your sixth stanza feels a little weak. You're writhing in your heart's grasp? Does that mean you're too emotional? Or too driven by your heart? Also, the writhing here just doesn't look appealing. (As a side note, the "i" in it is capitalized. I don't believe that's intended). B

Overall, I think this has a lot of potential to be deep and meaningful, but I don't think it's there just yet. The similes you use in the beginning are pretty weak, but the second half (the moment you allude to the heart/tree connection) it gets much better. I think with refinement, it'll be great!

I hope this helped!

My first review so don't expect a very good one.
You use a lot of repetition, which as a technique has it's purposes namely to emphasise a sound or idea. Your first stanza has a solid start, however it can clunky to have the first line be a single word, especially if that word is also the title. The third line's line break is a bit confusing but I can see the purpose was to keep like 3 and 4 balanced, seeing as the poem's visual layout against the page plays a big role in this particular poem. I like the line 3-4 simile though.

Stanza 2 has nice consonance with the TH sound at the ends. I think the first line of stanza 2 needs a comma, and the second one doesn't so I think that was just a formatting mistake. Behemoth is a large word describing something large so it is bold and therefore larger than the rest, I get that.

The third "stanza" makes sense on it's own, and I understand why you felt it good to italicise but I don't think it really adds anything to the poem. I know it is a different type of talking, the narrator is speculating rather than stating but still.

Forth stanza, similar theme, more physical page layout based stuff. I like this because there are two ways you can read it.

Fifth stanza, separate is followed by a separation ok. Another big word is bold. A small question here, surely a big heart would be capable of loving more if you're going with the whole heart = love thing? Embrace italisiced because it makes the words closer, in an embrace of sorts.

Final stanza seems solid except for the final writhing. That literally seems very un-solid. it does give a kind of sense of downward motion, indicating perhaps a decline.

Overall I would say this poem was more of a thing I had to read than one I could simply experience. It has it's positives but I fear it might fall into the realm of mediocrity. To avoid this perhaps use more vivid imagery like you did in stanza one. More metaphor and simile too.
This was a decent poem, and I'm not here to make you feel great about yourself just to be fully honest so there. I hope this is kind of helpful in some way.