Boxes Lie

I know this poem was written a while ago, but I absolutely loved it, and this was one of the FIRST pieces of literature I read on YWS! Love how you intertwined the theme of not judging boxes' outward appearances with not judging people's external looks! Really relevant and necessary to today's society
The rhyme scheme and consistency in the amount of syllables per line really helped the poem flow as well, and that's a wonderful achivement, to have a poem that sounds wonderful AND means something wonderful! I hope I myself will learn to stop judging other people as much, especially without getting to know them at all!

Keep writing and God bless!<3

I'm not much of a poem reader, or analyzer. However, I believe your work is special. The background helps connect the reader to the current season, creating a reason for people to start reading. I love the switch up from objects to people. The directness shows that through a narrow mind, it's easy to think they are the same. Especially during teenage years, people will definitely judge a person's looks. It's a hard truth that most people ignore, but this poem puts a spotlight on the issue and forces the emotion out of you. It forces you to care, even if you thought it was going to be a heartwarming story. Thank you for posting this.

Hello, there! Avi speaking
First off, holy moly, this is a great poem with an incredible message. I love how it started as a holiday poem- one that I thought would be a narrative poem about deceptive boxes and how you picked a box you thought looked flashy only to receive something mundane- and then unveiled this beautiful message on human kindness and still managed to tie it all together in the end with the boxes. Absolutely brilliant!
Second, the rhyme scheme is fantastic and incredibly fun to read, so tons of kudos for that. However, rhyming while stringing together cohesive thoughts in a certain rhythm is tricky, and there were a few lines in this poem where I noticed the rhythm was a bit askew. (Your ability to rhyme and form cohesive thoughts, however, was utter perfection and never halted once.) I'm going to jot down a few of those lines with some suggestions if that's okay.
"Or the trinket that you want," eliminate "the" and it flows like How the Grinch Stole Christmas (which is a compliment because Dr. Seuss was bloody brilliant).
"Disguised in humble wrapping,
Not what you would have thought." Replace "," with "-" because "Not what you would have thought" is a bit of an interjection that puts the previous sentence to a halt.
"In which treasures often come" could become "From which the treasures come" to fit with the rhythm and be a tad more cohesive. You wouldn't say "the package in which something comes", it would be "packaging", which would toss off the whole rhythm. "The package from which something comes" sounds much nicer and keeps the flow.
"Forgetting this old lesson,
That boxes often lie." The same suggestion as "Not what you would have thought"- replace "," with "-".
All in all, this is a beautiful poem, and the only critiques I have were a few little tweaks. Incredible writing, and I can't wait to read more of your work!
<3

Happy Holidays! My name is Ley (or Lektra) and I'm here to review this sparkling work with my new holiday-themed review template: just in time for winter! I hope that this review helps you in more ways than one. Let's sit by the fire, get our marshmallows ready, and discuss this piece you have here. Huzzah!

❄️ Winter Whispers ❄️
The title of this piece captured my attention right away! It's kind of an unorthodox title that can be represented in so many different ways-- and I'm not sure if I was entirely expecting a winter/holiday themed poem, but I'm pleasantly surprised either way :3. I also wanted to begin by mentioning how much I enjoyed the shift from physical gifts to human worth and friendship here! You weave a strong moral lesson into your poem without it ever feeling preachy, so kudos to you for that

🎅 Warm Sugar Cookie 🎅
For the highlights, I wanted to mention the tone of this piece. It has a timeless, nostalgic warmth that feels like sitting by the fireplace-- in other words, it's easy to read and welcoming. The rhythm and rhyme scheme are consistent throughout the poem, and I overall love how the poem looks.

On another note, I love how this poem is universal to all age groups. It reminds us that looks can be deceiving and to give everyone a try-- regardless of how intimidating they look.

My favorite stanza would have to be this one, of course, because it ties the theme together and leaves the reader with some newfound reflections:

So when you meet a person
You don't think seems worth a try,
Just stop and reconsider,
And remember - boxes lie.