The Last Meal

Nite,

First stanza is not needed at all. I think the two words "It ended" tells us everything the first stanza illustrated in just few words. Plus, beginning with "it ended" gives us more tension as we figure out for ourselves the events that are unfolding and the aftermath.

There's a "the" missing in "made (the) apartment smell" - just a small typo, easily fixed.

I am torn on this - I definitely feel the emotions and the images are vivid and the scene is definitely there, but I feel where it falters is in its straight forwardness and literal interpretations that is not really that surprising. It lacks the depth and complexity of experience from a reader pondering further.

I feel the title does this better - I just wish more of the title were in the poem itself. The title "The Last Meal" suggests an importance and emphasis on the pizza, but we don't go further into it in the poem. It's not as if the speaker is never going to have any more meals again during the aftermath of divorce -- perhaps, there is an argument to be made that it feels that way (?) A meal is something that we share with others, a moment to bond, something that feels satisfying and gives us life - but the poem doesn't explore any of these avenues. It would be interesting and conflicting to present the positive of the "meal" and the relationship in conjunction with the negative and the violence, that will really live us with that conflict of the heart that is so central to our experience as humans - but the poem as it stands right now only focuses on the negative, which is exactly what we as readers are left with in the end.

I hope this helps.

~ Auds

Hello! herbgirl here for a review!
Hm. I like this poem. I thought it was interesting how you told the story of this woman's relationship so quickly, and so simply. It seems to mirror how many decisions are made, especially in situations similar to this. Sometimes, enough is just enough, and it needs to be over, and then it is, and I think you do a good job of communicating this here.
I had a few edits, but they were mainly just little typos. First, I believe the third line of the second stanza should read, "that made the apartment smell" instead of, "that made apartment smell".
Then in the last line of the third stanza, the "the" in "the Real Housewives of somewhere" Should be capitalized, you you would like to make it as similar to the actual title of one of those shows. Also along with that, and this is more of just my opinion, I think you should make this look as much like a real show title as possible, to make it funnier, so I would recommend also capitalizing "somewhere" and put the entire made up show title in italics.
Then in the fifth stanza, I was a bit confused. Where was this woman sitting so that she could see/hear the television but also be pushed forward into a table and then against a wall? Or was she even pushed into the table? This may just be my confusion, but I recommend making that stanza a little longer, to make it clearer as to what is going on.
Anyways, overall, I liked this poem! It was very well written, just go over those few spots. Thanks for the read!
herbgirl