Autumn

by bonnie babe

Published October 13, 2011

Spoiler! :
While reading this, please keep in mind that I have -1000 points whenever it comes to writing poetry.
Please be kind to me and give me constructive criticism.
I know that 'autumned' is not a word, any suggestions for an alternate word is welcome!


As birds fly south, they leave
A golden world behind them.
Silently leaves float down
like snowflakes made of fire.

If only I were young,
I'd try my best to catch them.
I suppose I will make do
With dreaming of my youth.

Before my sight grew dim
Back when I knew no troubles.
Before I knew the love
And loss that this life can bring.

Now I lay on my bed
And winter is approaching.
When will I, like those birds,
Fly from this autumned body?

Comments & reviews · 3
User avatar
S.S. Rose
Review
S.S. Rose wrote a review Review · Oct 13, 2011

Hello there, bonnie babe! Decent little poem you've got here, let's take a look, shall we?

If only I were young,
I'd try my best to catch them.
I suppose I will make do
With dreaming of my youth.


I happen to like this stanza. It would be really cool if you changed the last two lines to an image of chasing after the lost years of the persona's youth. You know, trying to catch them as one catches leaves. They're dead and gone, but there's also the hope of new leaves in spring. I dunno, just a thought.

Before I knew the love,
And loss that this life can bring.


You don't need a comma after "love". You do, however, need one after "birds" in the third line of the last stanza.

Hmm, "autumned body", huh? There are several real words you could use instead, like "withered", or "exhausted" if you're trying to say that the persona's body is worn out. Just thumb through a thesaurus, they're the best. But don't get carried away: use only the word that fits and not something extravagant or grandiose.
C.S. Lewis put it very well:

"Don't use words too big for the subject. Don't say 'infinitely' when you mean 'very'; otherwise you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite."

And with that gem of wisdom, I take my leave. It's a nice little poem, so good work. Simple but sweet.

Happy scribbling!

Sincerely,
Rose

User avatar
angel007angel
Review
angel007angel wrote a review Review · Oct 13, 2011

This is very creative, and really nice. I like your style, and don't worry, I do know autumned isn't a word and some people would nit-pick that, but I think it sounds really good and you've hidden the fact it doesn't exist because of the beautiful sentences surrounding it. I really enjoyed it, so keep writing, I'd like to read more. :wink:



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