Young Writers Society

mis·er·y
/ˈmiz(ə)rē/
noun
1) a state or feeling of great distress or discomfort of mind or body.

2) something that loves company

(synonyms: grief, denial, anger)

for reference see: nobody prepares you for how bittersweet saying "goodbye" is

Uhh I have no words. I'm literally crying, what the heck!
The format of this poem is one that really pulled me in, and it's almost like a song. The imagery here is just, ugh. Magnificent. I love it and it gives me a clear mental picture which not many poems do.
Honestly, if you're not really paying attention, I don't think you would notice it's about a pet. Most poems about pets don't have a bunch of depth, but this one really dug to the core, how growing up with something and watching it fade before you do is so painful.

chrysanthemum, stop, you've literally made me cry on a Thursday evening 😭

Anyways... hi! looseleaf here with a review.

This poem was incredible! I absolutely loved it. I have never read a poem written/formatted like this one before, so it was fascinating to see how you chose to stylize it. I'm not a big poetry reader, so excuse me if some of my comments/advice aren't correct.

I thought how you chose to leave everything uncapitalized really lends itself to the theme. It makes the poem a little more informal, as an ode to a beloved pet should be! It would be a weird read if it was formatted like Shakespeare because, at least, my love for my pets is playful (as you described in the beginning). The lines in brackets were wonderful, too, as they broke up the image-heavy stanzas and added some repetition to the poem. It also makes the poem feel somewhat unfinished, with the three brackets jutting out from the other lowercase lines. It adds to the feeling of longing we all have for one more day with a dying pet; I distinctly remember it when two of my dogs died! You've captured it perfectly here.

That being said, in general, I think the punctuation in this poem was a-ok, but it was a bit wonky at times. For example:

you were skittering across the floor,
i was just a child then, i chased you.

Hello! Ley here to leave a quick (yet hopefully helpful) review on this amazing poem of yours! Of course, once again, I'm left blown away by you Century, and this poem hit me like a brick. Let's get into the details!

So, it seems like we're talking about a dog here. One that you love, one that you cherished, one that has been in your life forever. One that's getting old, and is obviously showing the signs of aging </3 as a pet owner, I can also agree that animals aging can be absolutely heartbreaking, and we can see that in your poem here. Let's highlight some of my favorite parts:

i wonder what happened to the once-playful gray speedster i knew

[some things can't be forever, some things leave, some things flicker out.]

you have grown old now, and i have grown older.

i cling on to you with everything i've ever had, but i know it can't be forever.

[some things are fleeting, some things disappear, some things find a final slumber.]

This poem makes me feel so sad... This owner obviously loves their pet. They say that they knew the pet as a child which makes the bond between the two that much stronger. You can see that they were inseparable, and it wasn't just the pet that felt this way. A lot of people say that animals don't show love, just affection, but anyone that has a dog, cat, guinea pig, or even a snake can say otherwise. I truly feel for this person and hope the slumber is a peaceful one.

Poem is pretty ~v~