Young Writers Society

Hi there, alliyah! I'm here to review this lovely chicken shape poem for the Checklist Challenge. :] I’ll be formatting this review as thoughts on various parts of the poem!

So, thoughts on the title: I love the play on "Why did the chicken cross the road?" XD The "I guess I'm only wondering" part also gives the narrator this feeling of uncertainty, which is mirrored nicely in the poem with its slanted lines and scattered phrases. Crossing the road could also be a metaphor for overcoming an obstacle, perhaps? And maybe the narrator is looking to the chickens and geese for inspiration or answers… At least, that’s my interpretation! ^-^

Thoughts on the shape: The shape of the poem is immaculate. It can be instantly recognized as a chicken with the beak, legs, and outline, and the slant of the lines in the middle makes them resemble a wing. The different fonts and sizes also contribute to the scattered feeling of the poem, which is an interesting effect. Overall, awesome job with the formatting! :]

Thoughts on the words: Along with the scatteredness, the poem gives off a feeling of the narrator wondering about their identity. Lines like, "I guess / who do you think you are?" and "where are you going?" are especially strong with those vibes of feeling lost/uncertain, and I can imagine the narrator scratching out this poem as they muse about themself and where their life is going. I read the right leg as, "or am I? who not why not maybe," and it feels like the narrator has been reduced to single words, as compared to the phrases and questions from the top of the chicken. "Maybe," in particular, is the word I'm left with as the last word of the poem. It’s definitely an interesting note to leave off on! Also, like Plume mentioned, I love how this is both a deep, almost philosophical poem and a cute chicken poem at the same time. It plays both roles wonderfully, and honestly, I kind of want to print it out and hang it on my wall. xD

So yeah, thank you for sharing this poem, and I hope you have a wonderful day/night! =D

Hi alliyah,

First off alliyah my impressions are I really love pieces of your work that you putted out alliyah and also i think of this as a funny meme If a goose was chasing you, you a chicken as the superior bird. just another chicken I am only wondering you and that silly goose I think of it as a funny meme alliyah but this a piece of work that I be waiting on alliyah.

My Compliment alliyah is that I really had enjoyed your poems that you were putting out and I hope i see more work put out cause me i really enjoy's your poetry alliyah i each one that you put out.

Good Wishes Writing alliyah!

Hey hey! It's Alex here with a review!

Oh my goodnesss!!! I freaking love it! Have you ever wondered why these things are so unique in their own way? Because they are not only poems, but a work of art. Anyone that tries to tell you that this is stupid, ignore them. Why? Because it's wayyyy too good for anyone to even think about saying its trash. It's frekin beautiful alliyah! And don't ever forget it! One thing that kinda confused me was the fact that the words are everywhere, but I still love it <3 Keep up the good work..!

Hey there! Plume here, with a review!

First of all, I feel like I have to mention the innovative formatting. This honestly feels more like a work of art than a poem, which isn't to say that poems aren't works of art—but the visual aspect of this really emphasizes the more subjective nature of it that I usually associate with visual art. I think this work displays really stupendous craftsmanship and creativity, though, and I love both reading it and taking in it's fabulous chicken-ness!!

The one thing I did wonder about was whether you could provide a non-formatted version of the poem, or if part of its intended charm was the confusing direction it was supposed to go. I think the questioning nature of the poem lends itself to the intentional messiness well, but I would be interested to see if my interpretation of the poem changed if I read it in the order it was intended to be read in. That also brings me to another question: what exactly was your process in making this? Did you format as you go, or did you write the poem first and then format it? Was this ever meant to be read as one cohesive thing with a set order, or is it simply small phrases filling out a chicken doodle that all work together to promote one greater theme? I'd be interested to know!

Moving on to the actual content— I think you did a great job. I loved the comparisons between chickens and geese, and you knocked out of the park with the repeated phrases throughout, especially the repeated questions. It definitely set the tone as a sort of musing, talking-to-the-abyss kind of feeling. The metaphorical usage of chicken and goose was nice too, along with the whole focal point of crossing roads. While this poem could be taken in a more literal, silly sense, I think that it could also be about transformation and transitions, and maybe also about feeling a little lost, either in life or in your own identity. I liked how it got a bit more disjointed towards the end, as well— that made me think that the journey this chicken/narrator/reader is going on isn't going in the direction they thought it would, and as a result, they're only more confused. There are honestly just a ton of things to discuss in this, and I wish I had the time to delve into them. The one thing I will mention is your light motifs throughout - "feathers plucked from sunbeams" is such a gorgeous image and the "carry you onward to the light" was both a return to that sunshiney imagery as before, but also reminiscent of death (i. e. step into the light). The spirit world, however you choose to think of it, has also been referred to as "the other side" before, and the whole focus on crossing the road ties into that bit of allusion? imagery? as well.

Overall: really nice work!! I think you made a lot of great choices in this poem that elevated it from just a silly little chicken poem to something with a lot of profound meaning while also functioning as a silly little chicken poem . I hope to read more of your work soon! Until next time!!

I like how the poem was laid out,it looked like a cascade of thoughts.I’d like to think it’s about doubting who you are and who you were.It’s about asking yourself the same question,over and over and over and over and over again,questioning your sanity and what you have been taught from birth.I hope you have a lovely and amazing day and night.

*blinks* *blinks again* *laughs her head off*