The Hubris Noose

The Hubris Noose

A venomous, thorny vine
Clutches victims at the throat,
Yet to them it is a gentle necklace,
For they see not malevolent schemes.
The captives’ blood trickles down the front,
Until white skin is stained scarlet,
But they do not see the ominous dye
As a sign of the lethal embrace.
Habit has poisoned their seedling minds,
And desensitized them to the pain.
This invisible, hellish doom
Is borne upon maturing young
Who are dying in a hubris noose,
Captive to a wicked pride.


Yeah, basically I've been staring at the piece of paper I wrote this on all day. I've gone through three drafts, and I really need a fresh pair of eyes to critique it for me. Be ruthlessly harsh, if you may :D

Comments & reviews · 8
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Incandescence
Review

elephantwalrus:


What was lost -
About five minutes reading and thinking about this poem

What was gained -
Nothing

This attempt to pack a moral lesson into 14 lines never really gets started for me as the language in the first fourteen lines seems to be stuck in one place.

The whole thing strikes me as a clumsy, half-hearted and generally unfocused rant.


Best,
Brad

User avatar
Kit
Review
Kit wrote a review · Thu Oct 18, 2007 6:30 am

I like this a lot, it's universal, insightful, there's a delicate deliberation in your phrasing which is quite lovely. I'd be interested to see you play with some sense imagery, possibly smell or touch, just going along with what Clau said on getting the greatest effect upon your reader, the more specific, the more vivid the better.
But that's just a little thing you can play with, otherwise, this is a very strong piece, be proud.

User avatar
Emerson
Review
Emerson wrote a review · Wed Oct 17, 2007 8:46 pm

I think this is a very good poem! The only thing I could suggest is to go through and try to make your words stronger. For explain "pain" is an extremely vague word. The bright/better words you use, the brighter your language will be, and the more powerful the poem will be, as well.


Best of luck!

Random avatar
Good_Night119
Comment

I like the noose/suicide metaphor for hubris. the poem was extremely descriptive and left quite a vivid my mind. Overall, well done i say

User avatar
Areida
Review
Areida wrote a review · Wed Oct 17, 2007 2:04 am

Ooh, I really liked this. Partly because I completely adore the word hubris, but also because it flows nicely and has good imagery as well. It's one of those poems that just reads like it should be in an old book somewhere in a library, just waiting to be discovered for the thousandth time...

So yeah, no real critique from me here. I enjoyed it. :)

User avatar
elephantwalrus
Comment

Why thank you! :D I will continue to work on this. Thanks for taking the time to comment!

User avatar
smorgishborg
Review

I like it quite a bit. The imagery is great, I see no blatant errors, and it has a powerful meaning.

To be frank; the only change I'd suggest is a break after Line 4, and line 8, because they seem to conclude a thought.

Aside from that, I'd only add on more.
One of my favorite poems I've read since I joined! :D

User avatar
Twit
Review
Twit wrote a review · Thu Oct 11, 2007 9:13 pm

I probally shouldn't say, "Lol, me like" but that's all that comes to mind. :roll:

A venomous, thorny vine
Clutches victims at the throat,


Maybe you should add in that, so it's, A venomous, thorny vine that Clutches victims at the throat. And change the comma to a full stop, I think.



Who, being loved, is poor?
— Oscar Wilde